HIGH up on a rock, 12 miles off the coast of Arbroath, stands a storm-battered stone structure: Bell Rock lighthouse. The rain passes, the sun shines, the gulls circle; no matter what, Bell Rock stands proud, as it has done since 1811, warning of the reef below.
The lighthouse occupies a peculiar place in our collective imaginations. Visiting La Corbière lighthouse in Jersey in 2019, I was captivated by this ancient structure. It felt like a snack-sized portion of Enid Blyton in front of my very eyes and I longed to climb in and tuck into some ginger beer with the lighthouse keeper. Yet he is no more. There are more than 330 lighthouses in the British Isles today, the majority of which are managed by one of three authorities: Trinity House, the charity dedicated to safeguarding shipping and seafarers in England, Wales and the Channel Islands; the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB), which covers Scotland and the Isle of Man; and the Commissioners of Irish Lights, which looks after Ireland and Northern Ireland. Since 1998, all of these lighthouses have been automated and there are no longer keepers winding the light, ‘like a giant grandfather clock every 30 minutes,’ as former lighthouse keeper Peter Hill remembers.
Before 1836, the British lighthouse network had both public and private owners, explains Tom Nancollas, author of Seashaken Houses: A Lighthouse History from Eddystone to Fastnet. ‘Private entrepreneurs could seek permission from the Crown to erect lighthouses as profit-making ventures, as ships would have to pay a toll for their safe passage.’ When, in 1841, Skerries Lighthouse off Anglesey was sold to Trinity House, it was for £444,984—truly, a valuable asset.
Denne historien er fra May 26, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra May 26, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
