Wolf Rock Lighthouse
| Wolf Rock Lighthouse | ||
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| Place: | Wolf skirt | |
| Location: | off the coast of Cornwall | |
| Geographical location: | 49 ° 56'43.2 " N , 5 ° 48'30" W | |
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| Construction time: | 1861-1869 | |
| Operating time: | since 1870 | |
The Wolf Rock Lighthouse stands on Wolf Rock a cliff off the coast of Cornwall , England ,
The lighthouse stands on the rock, which protrudes only a little above the surface of the water and is a dangerous obstacle for shipping. The name of the rock is said to refer to either the shape of the rock or the sound of the wind that sounds like howling a wolf when it blows through the gaps in the rock. The name wolf has been used for the rock since 1800.
The importance of marking the rock has long been known. In 1791 the right to place a navigation mark on the rock was leased to Henry Smith. In 1795 he put an iron pole six meters high and ten centimeters thick on the rock, which had an iron wolf at its head. The navigation mark was not illuminated and only visible during the day. The stake was fastened with tin in a hole in the rock. It offered little resistance to the sea and was quickly washed away.
By Samuel Brown , the plan of a hollow bronze tower was presented with a reflector. However, the proposal was rejected.
Robert Stevenson submitted a plan for a lighthouse on the rock in 1823. But the cost of £ 150,000 was considered too high.
Between 1836 and 1840, an iron fire basket was installed on the rock by James Walker . The foundation of the basket consisted of a 4.8 meter wide and equally high foundation made of iron plates, which were filled with stones that were connected with cement. The construction of the foundation took 302 hours, but this was spread over the entire period of 1836 as the weather conditions made it so necessary. The fire cost £ 12,000 to build. The first fire basket installed on the foundation was washed into the sea in November 1840, the one installed afterwards disappeared into the sea in 1844 and a third in 1850. The foundation is still visible on the rock today.
In 1861 the construction of a stone tower according to the plans of James Walker began, the construction of which was based on that of the Eddystone Lighthouse . In order to ensure the stability of the tower for a long time, the connection between the stone blocks was specially protected. For this purpose, the stones were equipped with a fold . The higher stone was inserted into the recess on the upper edge of the lower one and the protrusion then protects the connecting cement from the force of the waves. This was done up to a height of 11.8 m. To ensure further security, the two lowest stone layers were individually anchored in the rock with bronze bands, while the layers above were connected to one another with bronze bands up to the twentieth. The stones as well as the bolts and straps, as well as the holes for their mounting, were prepared in Penzance in a specially built workshop at the port. When work on the rock began in 1862, James Nicholas Douglass had taken over construction management after Walker's death. In the first year the rock could only be accessed 22 times and 38 hours of work could be done. By the end of 1864 only 37 stones could be attached.
Since access to the rock was extremely difficult, it was decided to build a landing pad where a crane could be attached and the work could go faster. From June 13th, 1867, a height had been reached that made it possible to work even during the flood . On June 29, 1868, a steam engine was used for the first time to lift the stone blocks. Instead of the previous 15 minutes, it only took 2.5 minutes until a stone could be inserted. A total of 1078 stones were used. The cost of construction was £ 62,726. The tower is 35 m high from the foot to the walkway. It is 12.7 m wide at its base and 5.2 m at its top. The total height is 41 m. The tower was completed on July 19, 1869. On January 1, 1870, the lighthouse was put into operation. A fog bell was installed shortly thereafter.
In 1955 the lighting was switched from oil to electricity. In 1977, the lighthouse was the first in the world to have a helicopter landing platform installed on it. In 1988 the tower was switched to automatic operation.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Wolf Rock Lighthouse. In: trinityhouse.co.uk. October 26, 2019, accessed October 26, 2019 .
- ↑ Wolf Rock Lighthouse, Cornwall
- ↑ a b c d e f The Wolf Rock Lighthouse
- ↑ a b c Wolf Rock Lighthouse on World Wide Lighthouses