CHARACTER
The flash pattern
Beachy Head shows Fl (2) 20s: two flashes every 20 seconds. Eddystone shows Fl (2) 10s, a different rhythm from the same family.
Compare the beams
AN INFORMATIONAL GUIDE: OUR COASTAL LIGHTHOUSES
Every light has
a signature.
Each lighthouse flashes in its own pattern.
Here OCL stands for our coastal lighthouses: this is an independent informational guide, not an organisation. Each light has a character, a pattern of flashes that tells a sailor exactly which lighthouse they are looking at.
FL (2) 20s two flashes every 20 seconds
Compare the beams- A pattern, not just a light
- Range measured in sea miles
- Watched from afar today
- Old towers, modern lights
THE SHORT ANSWER
A code in light,
read from the sea.
Trinity House maintains over 60 lighthouses
around England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar.
OPTICS
Lenses and LEDs
Eddystone uses a rotating 4th order lens; Beachy Head now has an LED lantern. Older lights use large catadioptric optics.
See the numbers
TOWERS
Built to stand the sea
Smeaton's 1759 Eddystone tower used dovetailed stone blocks shaped like an oak tree; the present tower dates from 1882.
A short history
FOUR MOMENTS IN THE STORY
From candles
to remote control.
Drawn from Trinity House's own timeline and lighthouse histories.
1698: a light on the rock
The first Eddystone Lighthouse became the first rock lighthouse in Europe. A storm destroyed it in 1703.
1759: lit by 24 candles
Smeaton's stone tower on Eddystone was lit by 24 candles and stood for about 120 years.
1982: the first rock light automated
Eddystone became the first Trinity House rock lighthouse converted to automatic operation, 100 years to the day after Douglass's tower opened.
1998: the last keepers leave
Lizard, Nash Point and finally North Foreland were automated, completing the programme.
TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING
Many lights,
no keepers.
Both figures come from Trinity House,
which looks after lighthouses in England and Wales.
60+
Lighthouses it maintains
From offshore rock towers such as Eddystone and Bishop Rock to shore stations such as Lizard and Nash Point.
NETWORK · TRINITY HOUSE
1998
Year the last keepers left
North Foreland was the last to be automated, on 26 November 1998, ending four centuries of lighthouse keeping in Trinity House service.
AUTOMATION · TRINITY HOUSE
Today lights such as Eddystone and Beachy Head are monitored and controlled from a planning centre in Harwich, Essex, according to Trinity House.
COMPARE THE BEAMS
How far does
the light reach?
Pick a lighthouse. The bar shows its range of light in nautical miles, from Trinity House's published details.
Figures from Trinity House lighthouse pages, which are marked not for navigation purposes. Check official notices to mariners for navigation.
LIGHT AT SEA
Ships with
lanterns too.
Lightvessels once carried crews as well. Trinity House says the last manned lightvessel was towed to Harwich on 9 June 1989.
Navigation has moved on too: Trinity House's timeline records a differential GPS network from the general lighthouse authorities and work on e-navigation systems alongside the lights themselves.
Questions
Questions people ask
What does OCL stand for here?
Our coastal lighthouses. This is an independent informational guide, not an organisation or lighthouse authority.
What does Fl (2) 20s mean?
A light character: two flashes repeated every 20 seconds. It is how Beachy Head Lighthouse identifies itself at night.
Are there still lighthouse keepers?
Not in Trinity House service. The last six keepers finished on 26 November 1998 when North Foreland was automated.
Which was the first rock lighthouse?
Trinity House says the first Eddystone Lighthouse, built in 1698, was the first rock lighthouse in Europe.
Can I use these figures to navigate?
No. Trinity House marks its lighthouse pages as not for navigation purposes; mariners use official charts and notices.
Sources
- Trinity House: Lighthouses and lightvessels
- Trinity House: A brief timeline
- Trinity House: A fine farewell (end of lighthouse keeping)
- Trinity House: Eddystone Lighthouse
- Trinity House: Beachy Head Lighthouse
- Trinity House: Lizard Lighthouse
Updated