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Page 2 of 2 HappisburghHappisburgh (pronounced Haisborough) is a small village on the north-east coast of Norfolk. I went there to see the oldest working lighthouse in East Anglia - established in 1791. My guides were Patrick Tubby from the Happisburgh Lighthouse Trust and Joy Adcock from the Association of Lighthouse Keepers. We climbed 112 steps to the lantern, where Patrick told me: "Trinity House had planned to discontinue the light in 1988, and the local community, aghast at this proposal, united to save it." The Friends of Happisburgh Lighthouse was formed to oppose the closure, but Trinity House were adamant that the light was surplus to requirements; so the Friends looked at operating the lighthouse themselves. This was a novel idea, and Patrick explained the legal problems to me: "A working lighthouse can only be disposed of to an established 'lighthouse authority'. So the Friends promoted a Private Bill through Parliament to establish the Happisburgh Lighthouse Trust as the 'lighthouse authority'." To mark the formal handover to the Trust, the Queen Mother visited in July 1990. The lighthouse is open to the public regularly throughout the year. For further information see www.happisburgh.org, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or tel: 01692 650442. Anvil PointRecently I rented the former lighthouse keeper's cottage at Anvil Point. The lighthouse sits in splendid isolation at the end of a rugged chalk headland on the Dorset coast. Directly in front of us was the long-distance coastal path, behind us nothing but rolling downs, meadows and grassland. There was plenty to do during the day - ramble along the Purbeck Way, visit Corfe Castle's Civil War ruins, explore Lulworth Cove and Studland Bay, sample the Wareham Film Festival and ride on the Swanage Steam Railway. But we always looked forward to day's end, and our first sight of the dramatic coastline as we drove down a narrow private track to 'our' lighthouse. There was plenty to do - TV, videos, books and games were all provided. One evening I read a romping tale by Enid Blyton about the Famous Five living in a lighthouse for a few days (see Vivian Endicott's article about Enid Blyton). Rural Retreats has a dozen keeper's cottages to rent - tel. 01386 701177 or visit www.ruralretreats.co.uk LundyHow is it that a small island, 11 miles from the Devon coast, has three lighthouses? Lundy may be small (three miles long and half a mile wide), but it is a big obstacle for ships entering or leaving the busy Bristol Channel. Shipwrecks were rife, and in 1820 Trinity House built a tall lighthouse on Lundy's highest point. Too tall, too high - fog and mist often obscured the lantern (as Myrtle Ternstrom explains in her fascinating study, Light Over Lundy: A History of the Old Light). Almost 80 years later, two new lighthouses were built nearer sea level, on the north and south ends. You can walk to both of these working lighthouses, climb to the top of the Old Light for splendid views, and stay in the keepers' accommodation at Old Light. That's because Lundy is owned by the National Trust, and welcomes visitors. You can make a day trip, or stay in buildings that the Landmark Trust has restored - including a castle, a barn, a fisherman's cottage, a large Georgian house, and an old school. Last April I stayed in the keepers' storeroom and pigsty - now transformed into a cosy cottage. Lundy is unique: there are no cars, roads, streetlights, overhead electricity wires, tourist information signs or "Keep Out" notices. Instead you will find plenty of springy moorland, rugged cliffs, wildflowers, birds, and huge expanses of sea and sky. Lundy is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Special Area of Conservation, and Britain's first Marine Nature Reserve with a No Take Zone that offers additional protection. It is home to flocks of Soay sheep, Sika deer and mountain goats - all running wild. The only signs of commerce are a small grocery store and the Marisco Tavern (open for breakfast, lunch and supper). Transport to Lundy (by ship or helicopter) and year-round accommodation can be arranged at www.lundyisland.co.uk or tel: 01271 863636. Further informationExcellent introductions to the subject are Lighthouses by Lynn Pearson (Shire Publications, £4.99), and Lighthouses by Charles Payton et al (National Trust, £9.99). The Lighthouse Stevensons by Bella Bathurst is a fascinating account of how four generations of the Stevenson family (but not Robert Louis) built every lighthouse around Scotland. Membership in the Association of Lighthouse Keepers is open to all; contact Mike Millichamp, 9 Gwel Trencrom, Hayle, Cornwall TR27 6PJ or visit www.alk.org.uk To obtain a free Trinity House wall chart (Putting our lighthouses on the map) or to request further information about its lighthouses, visitor centres and holiday cottages visit www.trinityhouse.co.uk, call 01255 245000 or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Joy Adcock has compiled a complete guide to lighthouse accommodation in Britain and worldwide; contact her at 23 Aldis Road, Acle, Norwich NR13 3BN, visit www.lighthouseaccommodation.co.uk or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it |
