Back to album

The lighthouse on legs

Burnham-On-Sea in Somerset has had three lighthouses over the years - of very different shapes - which have played a vital role in keeping sea-going vessels safe.

 

The lighthouse on legs

 

After the Pillar Lighthouse building was completed it was found that too low a vantage point had been selected to take into account the massive rise and fall of the tides, so a lighthouse on legs was built in 1832 to complement the tower.

 

The Low Lighthouse lights were inactive between 1969 and 1993 and were re-established on 31 December 1993.

 

The High Lighthouse lights were permanently discontinued at the same time.

The lighthouse has a focal plane of 7m and provides a white flash every 7.5s plus a directional light (white, red, or green depending on direction) at a focal plane of 4m. The light is shown through a window at the front.

 

The lighthouse is painted white with a single vertical red stripe on its front face and is 9m tall with a conical roof and mounted on 9 timber pilings.

It remains an active aid to navigation and is visited by many thousands of walkers every year.

 

7,048 views
100 faves
82 comments
Uploaded on April 22, 2015
Taken on April 11, 2015