Old Lower Lighthouse
The Old Lower Lighthouse is a disused 19th century
Working alongside the Old Higher Lighthouse from 1716, the lower lighthouse has subsequently been rebuilt twice, once in 1789 (when it became the first working lighthouse to have its light intensified by lenses[3][4] and again in 1869.[5] The lighthouse seen today was built in 1869 and has been the home of the Portland Bird Observatory since 1961.
History
Original operation as a lighthouse
The surrounding coast of Portland, namely Portland Bill and Chesil Beach, have been notorious for the many vessels that became shipwrecked in the area over the centuries.
In 1789, Trinity House hired the Weymouth builder William Johns to demolish and rebuild the lower lighthouse.
In 1824 the lights in both towers were renewed and improved by Trinity House; whilst the High Light was made revolving at this time, the Lower Light remained stationary but with 'its power and magnitude [...] considerably increased'.[11] In 1869 Trinity House had both lighthouses rebuilt to allow for further improvements to be made;[8][12] at the same time they were each provided with a large (first-order) fixed optic, designed and built by James Chance.[13]
At the turn of the 20th century, Trinity House made plans to build a new lighthouse at Bill Point to replace both current lighthouses.[8][12][5][14] The new lighthouse was completed in 1905,[6] and the original two lighthouses were then auctioned.[6][15]
Establishment of bird observatory
During the Great War the lighthouse was the "Longstone Ope Tea Gardens".[8] The lighthouse then saw several ownership changes,[16] and was used as a family home for some of this time.[17] After World War II, the lighthouse was empty and derelict.
During the 1950s, the studying of
See also
References
- ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Southern England". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
- ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1280466)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- ^ ISBN 978-0948699566.
- ^ a b Tag, Thomas. "Lens Use Prior to Fresnel". United States Lighthouse Society. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f "Portland Bill Lighthouse". Trinity House. 18 March 1996. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Portland – Three Lighthouses Walk". dorsetlife.co.uk. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
- ^ a b London Gazette, Issue 5464, Page 2, 28 August 1716.
- ^ OCLC 985760298.
- ^ "Old Lower Lighthouse". The Encyclopedia of Portland History. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ "Portland Bill Lighthouse". Trinity House. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
- ^ Purdy, John (1825). Memoir, Descriptive and Explanatory: To Accompany the New Chart of the Atlantic Ocean. London: R. H. Laurie. p. 5.
- ^ a b "Portland Year Book". ancestry.com. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
- ^ Chance, James Frederick (1902). The Lighthouse Work of Sir James Chance, Baronet (PDF). London: Smith, Elder & co. p. 166. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- ^ "Portland Year Book". ancestry.com. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
- ^ Mackenzie, Roy (1999). Portland: A Topographical and Historical Gazetteer. p. 23.
- ^ a b Official information board situated inside the bird observatory
- ^ "Lower Lighthouse, Portland, Dorset". Geoffkirby.co.uk. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
- ^ Keith Pritchard. "Portland Bird Observatory – index". Portlandbirdobs.org.uk. Archived from the original on 30 November 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
- ^ Keith Pritchard. "Portland Bird Observatory – introduction". Portlandbirdobs.org.uk. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
External links
| Authority control databases: Geographic |
|---|
