Beachy Head Lighthouse
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POSITION 50° 44' 0 N 00° 14'.50 E
It is said that as early as 1670 a light shone to guide passing vessels from the top of the cliffs at Beachy Head, the 90 Meters high seaward termination of the Sussex Downs.
In 1828 James Walker erected Belle Toute Lighthouse, a 14 meter high circular tower, on the headland. This remained in operation till 1899 when it was abandoned due to being frequently shrouded in mist and threatened with collapse because of recurrent falls of chalk from the cliff
In 1902 under the direction of Sir Thomas Matthews, the Trinity House Engineer-in-Chief, the present lighthouse was brought into service, sited about 165 metres seawards from the base of the cliffs. It took two years to complete and involved building a coffer-dam and a cableway from the top of the cliffs to carry materials down to the site. 3,660 tons of Cornish granite were used in the construction of the tower.
Beachy Head Lighthouse is 43 metres high with a 1st order 920 MM optic which rotates in a bed of mercury. The station gives out a white group flash, of 880,000 candelas intensity, twice every 20 seconds. The light is visible for 25 sea miles. The fog signal is a nautophone sounding every 30 seconds. Beachy Head lighthouse was automated and demanned in June, 1983. It is monitored 24 hours a day from the Trinity House Operations Control Center at Harwich in Essex.
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HEIGHT OF TOWER HEIGHT OF LIGHT ABOVE MEAN HIGH WATER AUTOMATED ELECTRIFIED LAMP CHARACTER INTENSITY RANGE OF LIGHT FOG SIGNAL CHARACTER FOG SIGNAL RANGE |
1828
43 METRES 31METRES 1983 1960 10.4 WATT FILAMENT LAMP 2 WHITE FLASHS EVERY 20 SECONDS 11,739 CANDELA 25 SEA MILES 6 SECOND BLAST EVERY 30 SECONDS 2 SEA MILES |