Dungeness Lighthouse facts for kids

The Dungeness Lighthouse stands tall on the Dungeness Headland in Kent, England. It began guiding ships on November 20, 1961. This lighthouse was built because the new Dungeness nuclear power station blocked the light from the older 1904 lighthouse. The current lighthouse is the fifth one built on this spot. It is made of strong concrete rings with black and white stripes. Today, it is still working, controlled from the Trinity House center in Harwich, Essex.

The Story of Dungeness Lighthouses

An image of the second lighthouse, in service until 1792.

Dungeness has a long history with lighthouses. There have been eight in total! Five were main lighthouses, and three were smaller, 'low' lights. More lighthouses were needed because the land here, called a cuspate foreland, keeps growing outwards. This means the sea slowly moves further away from the lighthouse. In the 1800s and 1900s, Dungeness was a testing site for Trinity House, the group that manages lighthouses in England. It was the first of their lighthouses to get a fog horn and an electric lamp.

The First Lighthouses

At first, sailors were warned by a simple fire beacon. But in 1615, a proper lighthouse was built. As the sea moved back, a new lighthouse, called Lamplough's Tower, was built closer to the water in 1635.

Wyatt's Tower: The Third Lighthouse

Keepers' dwellings on the site of Wyatt's tower

As more shingle (small stones) built up, a new lighthouse was needed. Samuel Wyatt built a modern one in 1792. It was about 35 m (115 ft) tall. This lighthouse used eighteen Argand lamps and special mirrors to shine its light.

In 1837, Trinity House took over the lighthouse. By 1843, they built homes for the lighthouse keepers around the base of the tower. The tower was painted red to be seen better during the day. Later, it had red and white stripes. Red lights were added in 1866 to show safe places for ships to anchor.

Trying Out Electric Light

In the early 1860s, a scientist named Michael Faraday chose Dungeness for a new experiment. It was the first lighthouse to get a permanent electric light. Two electric lamps were put in, with oil lamps as a backup. The new electric light started on February 1, 1862.

However, the electric light had problems. The engines often broke down, and the bright sparks from the lamp damaged the lenses. By 1875, the electric light was removed. The lighthouse went back to using a powerful oil lamp. Lessons learned here helped make electric lights much better for other lighthouses later on.

Taking Down the Tower

By the end of the 1800s, the sea had moved even further away. So, a decision was made to build a brand new main lighthouse. Once the new light was ready, Wyatt's tower was taken down in 1904. But the lighthouse keepers' homes around the base are still there today!

Early Fog Signals and the First Low Light

In 1862, an inventor named Celadon Leeds Daboll showed off his new fog horn at Dungeness. It was a success! This horn was bought and used as the fog signal at Dungeness. It sounded once every 20 seconds from a small wooden building.

In 1865, an improved fog horn was installed. This was the first time Trinity House had put a fog horn at any of its lighthouses. This new horn could turn and sound in four different directions.

In 1875, a new type of fog signal, an early siren, was put in. It was in a new building close to the sea. It sounded one blast every minute.

The First Low Light

At the same time, a new 'Low Lighthouse' was built next to the fog signal house. It was a short metal tower with a light that flashed quickly every five seconds. This light helped guide ships because the main lighthouse was now quite far from the shore. It started working on October 1, 1875.

The Fourth Lighthouse: The 'Old' Lighthouse

The 1904 lighthouse.

Building the fourth lighthouse began in 1901. It was meant to be closer to the sea, but there were problems with the ground. So, it was built just 40 yards from the old one. This new lighthouse was opened by the Prince of Wales and first lit on March 31, 1904. It had a special lens that made a flash every ten seconds. It also had red and green lights to show dangers and safe areas for ships.

This tower is still standing today! It's no longer a working lighthouse, but you can visit it. It's a round brick tower, 41 m (135 ft) high. It has 169 steps, and from the top, you get a great view of the shingle beach. The original lamp and lenses are still inside. It is a Grade II listed building, meaning it's an important historical building.

Gallery of the Old Lighthouse

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  The main lens that made the light shine.

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  Lenses for the red and green sector lights.

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  Inside view of the staircase.

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  The old homes where the lighthouse keepers lived.

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  The new 1961 lighthouse with the old 1904 lighthouse and the power station behind it.

More Fog Signals and Low Lights

The Second Low Light

In 1904, a new Low Lighthouse was built with a new fog signal house. It was 345 yards (315 m) east of the old one. This new Low Light was a round metal tower, 40 ft (12 m) high, painted red. It had new siren equipment. Both the light and fog signal worked the same way as before.

The Third Low Light

Between 1931 and 1932, another new fog signal house was built. It had a new Low Lighthouse on its roof. This tower also had two new fog horns. The Low Light kept flashing every five seconds. It was used until 1959 when it was removed to make way for the current lighthouse.

The Fifth and Current Lighthouse

The current lighthouse

As the sea moved even further away, and after the nuclear power station was built (which blocked the old lighthouse's light), the fifth Dungeness Lighthouse was constructed. It was the first major new lighthouse built in Britain in 50 years! It started working in 1961.

This lighthouse was first equipped with a new type of light called a xenon arc lamp. But it didn't work as well as hoped, so it was replaced with other lights. Today, it uses a small rotating lens. The tower has been lit up at night since 1962. This helps ships see it better and also helps protect migrating birds from hitting the tower.

The current lighthouse also has a special fog signal system. It uses many speakers built into the tower itself. These speakers make three blasts every minute (now one blast every 30 seconds).

Since 2003, Dungeness Lighthouse has been a Grade II* listed building, meaning it's a very important historical building.

See also

• List of lighthouses in England
• Grade II* listed buildings in Folkestone and Hythe