Maryport Old Lighthouse
-
Date of lens manufacture
1858
-
Date of lighthouse construction
1846
-
Country
United Kingdom
-
Commissioning body
--- -
Order of lens
4th order
-
Fixed or revolving lens
Fixed
-
Active/Inactive
Inactive
-
Describe the character of light
--- -
Describe the lighthouses daymarks
Unpainted (foundation), White (tower), Black (lantern)
-
Which aspects of the lighthouse (other than the lens) were manufactured by Chance brothers
--- -
Describe the history of the lighthouse
In 1833 an Act of Parliament granted permission for a dock to be built at Maryport together with a new pier and lighthouse. Construction was overseen by a new board of trustees and the pier, complete with its lighthouse, was in place by 1846. Both remain in situ and the light is said to be the UK's oldest cast iron lighthouse (though it no longer serves as a navigation light). It is 36 feet (11 m) high and consists of an octagonal metal plinth, column and lantern on top of a rusticated stone base. It was originally gas-lit.
Subsequently, the harbour continued to expand. In 1852, following a storm, the south pier (on which the lighthouse stands) was extended, and a new light was provided at the end of the pier extension (described as a lantern on a post, lit by three gas jets) with a range of 6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi). The lighthouse thereafter served as a tidal light, being lit at night only for as long as there was 8 ft (2.4 m) of water within the harbour; (during the day it exhibited a red spherical day mark to signify the same). In 1858 the Harbour Trustees commissioned James Chance to manufacture a small (fourth-order) fixed optic for the lighthouse, which gave the tidal light a range of 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi). The previous year, following completion of the Elizabeth Dock, additional (minor) lights had been installed on the north tongue and south jetty, within the harbour, coloured green and red respectively.
-
Current management body/ ports authority
Maryport Harbour Authority
-
Historical preservation societies/manager/operator
--- -
Is the site vulnerable to coastal erosion?
nu -
Have you experienced any affects of climate change on the lighthouse?
--- -
Observations on the condition of the lighthouse?
--- -
Is the site open/closed to the public
Open
-
Is the tower open/closed to the public
Closed
-
Latitude and Longitude
54°43′04″N 3°30′38″W
-
On-site bookable accommodation available
--- -
Associated web addresses
-
Other details
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryport_Lighthouse
- https://lighthouseaccommodation.co.uk/directory/maryport-lighthouse/
Foundation: 1-story stone octagonal prism basement Construction: cast iron (tower) Height: 11 m (36 ft) Shape: two-stage octagonal tower with lantern
Admiralty A4676; NGA 4860.
-
Which resources did you use to research this lighthouses?
---
-
When was the lens deactivated?
1996