How Victorians Built This Lighthouse at Sea

Building a lighthouse at sea isn't easy. The tide rises twice a day, submerging the site in water and materials need to be brought in from the shore hundreds of meters away. This was a massive challenge for engineers planning the construction of a new lighthouse in the English Channel at Beachy Head. But this was 1898, the Victorian era, whose people had already built Big Ben, invented the telephone and created the world's first underground railway powered by steam. So they came up with an ingenious solution, one so effective it got the job done six weeks early and drew attention from engineers around the world. But given the technical challenges of all possible sites on England's south coast, why did the Victorians choose to build a lighthouse here at this short cliff headland known as Beachy Head? Well, it's not the Beachy Head headland itself that's dangerous. With underwater hazards and strong currents, it's the waters around it that have presented a particular threat to shipping for centuries. In the 19th century alone, 321 shipwrecks were recorded in the area. Cargo ships carrying goods like coal or wine and even Royal Navy ships. Something had to be done to stop the frequent loss of life. At the end of the 19th century, England's lighthouse authority finally decided to build a navigational aid in the form of a lighthouse in the sea below the cliffs at Beachy Head. Its strong light would be seen in the English Channel for miles, helping mariners avoid the dangerous waters. They drew up plans for the lighthouse. Construction was due to start in 1900. But how on earth would they build this thing? The answer was to use the latest technology of the time to tame the seas and make construction in a hostile environment possible. First they laid roads to the clifftop, then they put up a metal platform at sea next to the lighthouse's chosen location. Next they hung a two-inch diameter rope between the clifftop and the platform capable of carrying 120 tons. Now they could easily transport to the site materials, steam engines and smartly dressed Victorian workers. And what about the problem of building in the sea? Well they constructed a circular dam to keep it out so they could lay the lighthouse foundations on a dry sea bed. The dam wasn't perfect and they had to continually pump out seawater with steam engines. Over the course of two years the aerial ropeway carried 4,000 tons of huge granite blocks to the construction site. These formed the walls of the lighthouse, in some places up to 2.7 meters thick. Enough to survive even the worst winter storms. Eventually a lighthouse emerged from the sea. In October 1902 its light shone for the first time, sending a warning to ships up to 16 miles away. And it all cost just 56,000 pounds, about 5.7 million in today's money. I love the idea of living in a house with the waves lashing against its single circular wall. How cozy it must have felt for the lighthouse keepers to brew tea on the cast iron stove while listening to storms rage outside. There were three keepers on rotation at any one time, keeping watch on eight hour shifts. In foggy weather their duties included detonating loud explosive charges every five minutes to warn sailors who couldn't see the light. During World War II the keepers spotted a mine drifting toward the lighthouse. After reporting it to authorities they were told to shoot it, but had no means to do so. Lighthouse keeper Reginald Simon describes what happened next. It continued to drift towards us and it passed with no more than three feet to spare, heading for the shore where it struck a rock and exploded, blackening the cliff to the very top. At this time there was still one thing missing from the lighthouse that today makes it so distinctive. In 1951 the original black stripes were painted red, giving it the look so cherished by visitors to the area today. The Beachy Head lighthouse was eventually automated in 1983. The keepers left for the very last time, never to return to their home in the sea. Once again the shores of Beachy Head were deserted. The now unmanned lighthouse has continued to alert mariners to the dangers of this area for 40 years. Let me leave you with a reminder of a time before the lighthouse existed when these waters truly were a hazardous place. It's a handwritten message found in a bottle floating in the sea in 1889. Dear friends who happen to read this, we were a party of friends all told when we were run into by a two master and I am now writing these lines which I hope will come into some person's hands who will send help to us as soon as possible. But I'm afraid it will be too late to save us as now our boat is sinking fast. If by chance any of our remains be found please let our friends know at Hastings Sussex. At this point the message cuts off. It was found seven months after it was dated, sealing the writer's fate.