They stand solid and defiant against the elements, presenting themselves as symbols of strength and timelessness. Lighthouses, it is tempting to think, are objects of permanence in a fast-changing world.
Around the coast of England, Wales and the Channel Islands, more than 60 lighthouses are operated by Trinity House. Many are very long-standing but nothing lasts for ever, not even a lighthouse. Over the coming year one of the two remaining Trinity House lighthouses off Sussex – Royal Sovereign seven miles out into the Channel from Eastbourne – is set to be dismantled.
In truth, lighthouse aficionados are unlikely to miss it very much. The concrete platform has little of the glamour and romance of other lighthouses. It was built in 1971 to replace a lightship that had marked shallow water there since 1875 but it was given a working life of just 50 years and is now deteriorating fast.
Trinity House’s deputy master captain Ian McNaught says: “It’s never an easy decision to remove such a prominent aid to navigation but our first priority will always be the safety of the mariner. Now that Royal Sovereign Lighthouse has reached the end of its serviceable life, it’s time for us to take steps to ensure that the lighthouse itself doesn’t become a hazard.”
To compensate for the loss of Royal Sovereign, Sussex’s other lighthouse, Beachy Head, has already been upgraded with a longer-range light. Situated at the foot of the cliffs in the sea, Beachy Head Lighthouse is a ‘proper’ lighthouse, a tower of Cornish granite with striking red and white stripes. It was built in 1902 when authorities realised the existing Belle Tout Lighthouse on top of the cliff, already frequently obscured by fog, was also becoming at risk of slipping over the cliff edge due to rockfalls.
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