Start Point Lighthouse facts for kids

The Start Point Lighthouse stands tall on Start Point, Devon, in England. It was built way back in 1836 to help guide ships safely past the coast. During the summer, you can even visit this amazing lighthouse! It is looked after by an organization called Trinity House. This lighthouse is also a special historical building, known as a Grade II listed building, which means it's protected for its importance.

History of Start Point Lighthouse

How the Lighthouse Was Built

The Start Point Lighthouse was designed by a famous engineer named James Walker. He designed many lighthouses, and this one is quite special. It looks like a castle tower with its Gothic style and a crenellated top, which means it has those cool, notched walls.

The main part of the tower is made from strong granite stones. These stones are painted white and have tar on them to protect them. The very top, where the light shines from, has a cast-iron roof covered in copper.

The tower is very tall, about 28 meters (92 feet) high. It has a wide base and then gets a bit narrower as it goes up. There are two doors, one on the north side and one on the south. The north door is the one you can use, and it has a special arched shape. Inside, there's a cool spiral staircase made of granite that winds all the way up.

At first, the lighthouse keepers, who looked after the light, lived inside the tower. But in 1871, new houses were built for them next to the lighthouse. Later, in 1882, another house was added. These houses were designed by James Douglass. Some of the keepers' houses were rebuilt in the 1950s. Other small buildings nearby, like a well-house, were also used by the keepers. Back then, the only way for keepers to get to or from the lighthouse was by boat!

How the Light Works

The first main light inside the lighthouse was very clever. It used eight large Fresnel lenses that spun around. A Fresnel lens is a special type of lens that can make a very bright, focused beam of light using less material than a traditional lens. Above these lenses were many curved mirrors. This was the first time Trinity House used this type of lens system, which was based on ideas from Augustin Fresnel and improved by Alan Stevenson.

In 1873, the top part of the tower was rebuilt, and a new, even stronger light was put in. This new light also spun and had six large lens panels. These new lenses were much more powerful than the old ones. Similar powerful lights were also installed in other lighthouses around the world.

Besides the main light, there was also a smaller, fixed red light. This red light shone from a window to warn ships about a dangerous area called the Skerries Bank. At first, this light was white, but it was later changed to red. It used light that was cleverly redirected from the main lamp.

The lighthouse used oil to power its light until 1959. That year, it was changed to run on electricity. At the same time, the main light was replaced with a smaller, more modern lens system. This new system made the light flash in groups.

The Start Point Lighthouse became fully automatic in 1993. This means that people no longer needed to live there to operate it. The work to automate it started in August 1992. After it became automatic, one of the keepers' cottages was taken down because it had been damaged. Now, the lighthouse is watched and controlled from a special center far away in Harwich, Essex.

In 2018, the spinning light system that had been used since 1959 was replaced again. Now, it uses a modern LED light. The old lens is now on display for visitors to see!

The Foghorn at Start Point

Sometimes, the light from the lighthouse isn't enough, especially when it's foggy. That's why lighthouses also have foghorns!

In 1862, a bell was put in place at Start Point to help ships in the fog. The machinery for the bell was in a small building on the cliff. The bell would ring 48 times every minute! The bell was later moved to another lighthouse.

In 1877, a loud siren replaced the bell. This siren was in a round building near the lighthouse. It would blast once every three minutes through a horn that could turn with the wind. The fog signal was made even better in 1883 with a two-tone siren. It would sound three times every three minutes: high, then low, then high. Over the years, the equipment was updated several times to make the siren even more powerful.

Sadly, in 1989, the land around the fog signal building started to crumble, and the building collapsed. A lot of work had to be done to fix the area and build new walls. Now, an electric fog signal is on the lighthouse itself. When it's needed, the foghorn sounds once every 60 seconds.

Images for kids

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  The lighthouse complex

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  The lighthouse seen from the land

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  A close-up of the stone building

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  The lens inside the lighthouse

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  Seen from the South West Coast Path

See also

• List of lighthouses in England