Written by Darcy Gresham
Growing up, everyone has dreams of what they want to become. We go through phases; I cycled through dreams of being a fairy and a mermaid (less realistic) to later wanting to become a ballerina or an author (more classical pursuits). These were influenced by the world I lived in, but more impactfully, the stories I was told. It is a story that I must credit with my childhood desire to be a lighthouse keeper.
Of the Lighthouse Keeper stories by Ronda and David Armitage, the standout is of course The Lighthouse Keepers’s Lunch in which the food Mrs Grinling ziplines from the cottage to Mr Grinling at the lighthouse is hijacked by pesky seagulls that even their cat Hamish cannot scare away. I shall not ruin the story for you, but let’s just say it’s lucky seagulls don’t like mustard. Anyway, this captivating story convinced me that being a lighthouse keeper would be a most wonderful job. Clearly the potential of stolen lunch did not discourage me. The ships tooting their thanks in the night as they sailed safely past seemed, to my younger self, an exceedingly noble and satisfactory pursuit.
Lighthouses have been a feature of coastal British history for centuries. The oldest lighthouse, or pharos, in the UK is believed to have been built the Romans between AD 46-50 and still stands on the grounds of Dover Castle, commanding a view over the Channel and the shortest stretch between Britain and continental Europe. This was a position of extreme defensive importance, and the lighthouse stood to guide Roman fleet into the harbour below. Additionally, it is the tallest, and one of the most complete, Roman structures in Britian, originally standing at 24 meters, and now at 15.8 meters, its hexagonal shape gave perfect vantage towards another lighthouse to the west, and the French coast for communication.
Lighthouses emerged to communicate and guide boats, beginning as beacons of fire raised onto platforms to make them more visible. The development of such action gave way to the lighthouse. Lighthouses have also acted to indicate the entrance to harbours, as well as warning signals. Perhaps the most famous lighthouse, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, was lit by a furnace atop its structure and stood on the island of Pharos just outside Alexandria, in Egypt. As a technological success, it has become the epitome of a lighthouse, and its archetypal structure has been replicated across the globe.
Although lighthouses were present in Britian during the Roman times, it was eighteenth century trade that saw their meteoric multiplication. Increase in transatlantic trade fuelled the need to warn of the craggy coastline and submerged rocky reefs. Until the late 1700s, coal or wood fires were used to illuminate lighthouses, but this was revolutionised by the Argand lamp in conjunction first with the catoptric mirrored reflector of 1777 and later with the dioptric lens from 1823. Further developments of gas lamps embedded with solar sensors took hold of lighthouse operations from the start of the twentieth century, when the inventor of the AGA cooker invented a valve that won him the Nobel prize in Physics of 1912. This enabled lighthouse signals to reach further out to sea and develop unique flashes, which allow them to be identified.
New development and infrastructure improved lighthouse durability and construction on areas more exposed to the harshness of the sea. Scottish engineer Robert Steveson was a key figure in lighthouse design at the start of the nineteenth century. One of his greatest achievements was the construction of the Bell Rock Lighthouse in 1810. The world’s oldest surviving sea-washed lighthouse, it sits in the North Sea, amidst wild waters. Its light is visible from 56 kilometres inland, illuminating the Firth of Tay. The standard of completion was so impressive, it has not needed to be replaced in two hundred years, although the light was modified to automation in 1988, a miraculous feat of engineering. Stevenson’s nephew, Robert Louis Stevenson, is said to have taken inspiration for Treasure Island from his visits to remote lighthouses in his youth.
Lighthouses traditionally needed keepers to ensure the running of the lighthouse and historically their duties included wick and fuel maintenance and light cleaning, as well as sea rescues. The remote nature of many lighthouses meant that keepers lived either within the tower, or in a neighbouring cottage on the cliffs to make sure they were always on hand (hope you are beginning to see how this is such an appealing career). However, this is not to be in the twenty-first century. The process of lighthouse automation began in the late 1960s, but most lighthouses were manned until the 1990s. The last automated lighthouse in Britain was Walney Island Lighthouse, in Cumbria, which was automated in 2003. Devastatingly no longer a profession, some lighthouses are attended to by retained keepers but most now rely on the Trinity House trust.
It’s undeniable that lighthouses are captivating structures. From antiquity, the wonder of the ancient world, the Lighthouse of Alexandria captured imagination and since then has not released its grasp. As an island nation, the importance of lighthouses in our history is undoubtable. Countless lives have been saved by these search lights scanning the ocean, both in warning and in hopeful reassurance. They dot our coastline and bear testimony to hundreds of safer passages across dangerous waters. One could, and I would, argue that they offer a distant, yet reassuring, message to sailors – that there is someone else out there. Lighthouses, one could say, symbolise glimmers of hope. They show distances that are worthy of being traversed and that there is always, somewhere out there, a flicker of light.
Despite the automation of lighthouses making lighthouse keeping a redundant profession, it would be wrong to focus on this, over their immense achievements. Lighthouse keepers have not only ensured countless safe journeys, but also, they themselves have played key roles in rescues and call outs in high-stake scenarios. I would argue that it is reductive to imagine them only polishing a light, they have protected the coast for thousands of years between them and in their passion has guarded the magic of lighthouses across the world.
Although I cannot be a lighthouse keeper, their tales and those of lighthouses will continue to captivate me. I will scan the dark horizons, waiting for a glimpse of that magical light, illuminated for a second before disappearing into darkness once more.
Bibliography
The Roman Pharos at Dover Castle, English Heritage online.
The Roman Lighthouse, History Hit online.
The Association of Lighthouse keepers.
A fine farewell, Trinity House.
How lighthouse keepers show us the way in dark, isolated times, Emma Stonex, The Guardian.
Guide to Britain’s lighthouses, Countryfile.
The Lighthouse Keeper, Ronda and David Armitage.
Featured image credit: “Beachy Head Lighthouse (Explored)” by tsbl2000 is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.
Retrospect Journal 