Book Review- Rock Lighthouses of Britain by Christopher Nicholson
June 21st 2007 07:19
In this new and greatly enhanced edition of his classic book which has become the standard work on the subject, the author vividly describes the construction and history to the present day of some of the world’s most famous lighthouses. It brings the story of the rock lighthouse completely up-to-date – from the day the first granite block was laid, through construction, automation, the disappearance of the lighthouse keeper, right up to the technology of today with the use of solar and wind power. This new edition will be a joy to read with its mix of exciting text, some of the most dramatic new colour photographs of British lighthouses ever taken, a selection of beautiful, hand-coloured plans and drawings, a brand new chapter about Rockall, the most unusual rock ‘lighthouse’ of all, updated technical data on the lighthouses and a detailed appendix. For those not intimately connected with the sea it’s almost impossible to imagine waves higher than the vessels that sail upon them smashing against half-submerged reefs that stir the whole ocean into a raging foam of white water. Man’s struggle to build a permanent and durable structure such as a lighthouse on these sites is a story that cannot fail to stir the emotions of anyone who enjoys tales of endeavour, ingenuity and dogged determination. (net sourced)
The other day I was wandering around our local library and and saw this book on the shelf, well being bit of a lighthouse fan and having a strong interest in artchitecture, I just had to pick it up and take it home to read. And a really good read it was too as I learned about names I had only heard about, names like Eddystone, The Skerries, Longships, Muckle Flugga and many more. This is a well researched book on an interesting subject which I expect not that many people know much about?
I had no idea that most of these lighthouses were built between 1650 and 1890, nor did I know that some of them had been run as a private concern and their owners charged each ship that went past them. The amazing photos, old artist drawings and descriptions of how they managed to build such structures in what is generally the worse places for weather in the Britsh Isles, just makes you wonder how they did it? As in some places the exposed rock was only visable at low tide or exposed for a couple of hours a day, just amazing feats of engineering.
Bishop Rock lighthouse (net sourced from The online list of lights)
Bishop Rock (Cornish: Men an Eskob) is a small rock at the westernmost tip of the Isles of Scilly ( 49°52.3′N, 06°26.7′W), known for its lighthouse, and listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the smallest island in the world.
Containing room for nothing more than the uninhabited 45 metre tall lighthouse, the rock acts as the barrier between the British Isles and the Atlantic Ocean.[citation needed] The original lighthouse was begun in 1847, but was washed away before it could be completed. The present building was completed in 1858.
Bishop Rock is also the eastern end of the North Atlantic shipping route used by ocean liners in the first half of the 20th century, the western end being the entrance to Lower New York Bay. The ship with the fastest time (in either direction) between a line of longitude running through Bishop Rock and the end point at the approach to New York Harbor (first Sandy Hook, New Jersey and later Ambrose Light) claimed the 'Blue Riband' for the fastest crossing.
Bishop Rock Lighthouse is operated remotely by Trinity House. A warning to shipping is necessary given the danger posed by the rocks around the islands - Sir Cloudesley Shovell's squadron of ships was lost there in 1707. The lighthouse was designed by James Walker and shone its first light on 1st September, 1858. In 1881, Sir James Douglass inspected it and made plans to reinforce it; the work was completed in 1887.
(net sourced)
This book is full of interesting facts and figures regarding the sea and light houses, eg Waves that have crossed 3,600 miles of wild Atlantic backed by gale force winds has resulted in waves crossing across Bishop Rock with pressure of excess 7,000lb per square foot and to read of lighthouse keepers advising that the towers shook everytime a wave hit, makes gripping reading.
so if you want to read about a little known subject then buy or borrow this book as its well worth your time.
kiwiauthor rating 9/10
Hal
| 37 |
| Vote |
Subscribe to this blog
Comment by D. Armenta
The Florida Keys and Everglades
The Black Sheep Chronicles
What constitutes bad manners?
The male mystique
Debate Fan
L.A.M.P.
Interesting post!
Comment by kiwiauthor
Yes they are very interesting and I have long been intrigued by them, would love to take a look inside of one, one day