South Stack Lighthouse
| South Stack Lighthouse | ||
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| Place: | South Stack, Anglesey, Wales | |
| Location: | Anglesey , Wales , United Kingdom | |
| Geographical location: | 53 ° 18 '25.3 " N , 4 ° 41' 57.6" W | |
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| Identifier : | Fl (3) 10s | |
| Construction time: | 1809 | |
South Stack Lighthouse is a lighthouse on the small rocky island of South Stack off Holy Island near Anglesey in north Wales .
The lighthouse is the first beacon seen by ships heading east when approaching Holyhead Harbor . In 1665 Charles II rejected the first application to build a lighthouse on the ledge because it was considered too expensive. In 1807 a new attempt was made by Captain Hugh Evans to begin construction, but this attempt was also initially rejected as too expensive. Evans, however, was not discouraged and began to solicit financial support for the project. With this support, he presented the plan again and it was accepted by Trinity House . The planning of the lighthouse began in 1808 and according to the plans of the architect Daniel Alexander, the tower was built in just nine months in 1809.
Most of the tower's stones were extracted from South Stack itself, but stones were also brought in from the Penmon quarry to the west of Anglesey, especially for the stairs. The construction site was supplied with boats and a cable car. The cable car, which at first could only transport goods, was strengthened in order to be able to bring workers to the island and during the first five years the lighthouse keepers also used this system to get to their workplaces.
The cable car was replaced by a simple suspension bridge made of ropes, which was replaced by an iron suspension bridge at the instigation of Captain Evans in 1827. This bridge was replaced by an aluminum bridge in 1964, which however had to be closed in 1983 due to dilapidation. In 1997 a new bridge was built, which still allows access for visitors to this day. The bridge, which is 21 m above sea level, is reached via a staircase with 400 steps from the top of the cliff.
The lamp
The lighthouse was first fitted with Argand oil lamps . Three sides of the tower were equipped with seven lamps each with a reflector 54 cm in diameter. The lamps were rotated by a clockwork mechanism that ensured the lamps one full turn every six minutes. So there was a light signal every two minutes from each of the three sides. This arrangement was supplemented by additional lamps in 1869 in order to increase the luminosity. But at the same time they began to look for a new system that could replace this lamp system. The company Chanche Brothers from Smethwick in Birmingham was finally commissioned to build a new beacon. Now there was only one light in the middle and Fresnel lenses rotated around it, making one rotation in six minutes and sending a beam of light every minute. The new design now emitted 80% of the light generated as a signal. The windows were changed at the same time as the lamp. The original windows did not let much light through because of the division by horizontal and vertical struts. Now discs with a frame in the shape of a cut diamond were used, which also contributed to increasing the visibility of the light. A kerosene lamp was now used as the lamp . In 1909 the lamp was reinforced again and now a high-intensity lamp was used. The mechanism on which the lenses rolled was also replaced at this time, and the previous ball bearings were replaced by bearings in mercury , which allowed rotation with a beam of light every ten seconds with much less resistance . In 1927 the lamp was reinforced again.
In 1938 the lighthouse was equipped with diesel generators, which from then on had lamps with an output of 1000 watts or two million candelas and were thus eight times as powerful as the previous lamp. The diesel generators were replaced by a connection to the power grid in the 1960s. In 1999 the first electrical lamp equipment was replaced by a metal halide lamp . The lamp only needs 150 watts, but delivers a light output of 467,000 candela and can therefore be seen 24 nautical miles (37 km).
The last lighthouse keeper on South Stack went out of service on September 12, 1983. The lighthouse has been remote controlled since then.
The foghorn
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Even the initiator of the lighthouse, Kapitain Evans, was aware of the poor visibility, which is often caused by the weather, as a problem. He had a small ramp constructed on which a mounted lamp could be driven down to 12 m above sea level on the mainland, and which thus emitted a beam of light closer to the surface of the water. The system was in use until 1908 when the more powerful lamps made it obsolete.
In 1854 a bell was installed on the west side of the island. The bell, one of the largest in Britain, was struck by a clockwork mechanism. But salt water and weather conditions made the mechanism very unreliable. A refuge brought little improvement. A cannon was stationed on the nearby North Stack as a second signal to assist . These warning signals were replaced by a siren on South Stack in 1908 . In addition, a bell was used, which was installed underwater north of South Stack and was also supplied with electricity from there. This bell proved to be very prone to failure and the system was discontinued in 1927. Between 1936 and 1938 a fog horn was installed that was operated with the help of diesel generators. The generators were replaced by the connection to the power grid.
The telegraph station
In 1861 a telegraph station was set up on the island, which could pick up optical signals from ships and then relay them to Liverpool. The station was closed in 1914 with the outbreak of World War I, like all similar stations, but unlike others, it was not reopened after the war.
Web links
- South Stack at Trinity House, accessed June 27, 2014
- South Stack Lighthouse at Anglesey History, accessed June 27, 2014
- South Stack Lighthouse, Anglesey on Anglesey Today, accessed June 27, 2014
literature
- Ian Jones: South Stack: Anglesey's Famous Lighthouse , Isle of Anglesey County Council, 2009, ISBN 978-19025-6510-1