Orfordness Lighthouse

1914

1791

United Kingdom

Trinity House

1st order

Revolving

Inactive

White tower with two red bands

There have been a number of lighthouses at Orfordness over the years. The first were built in 1637 serving as High and Low lighthouses to guide vessels through the narrow channels offshore.

The early Low Lights were moved back; the fifth Low Light was washed away in 1730, its replacement burned down in 1731, and the seventh light was burned down the following year.

The original High Light, built in 1637 had a framework tower with a coal-fired light. A masonry tower located further back than its predecessor was built in 1720.

However the erosion along the coastline continued, and when William Wilkins’ tower of 1792 was built it acted as a High Light to work with the 1720 tower, which then became the Low Light.

In 1868 two optics were installed, replacing previous oil lamps with reflectors. The High Light received a first-order optic, and it is thought that the Low Light had a smaller optic.

1888 improvements to the High Light took place, and the character was changed from fixed red and white to an occulting light, with a 3-second eclipse every 40 seconds. Fixed subsidiary lights further down the tower shone over the sandbanks offshore.

A new revolving optic was installed in 1914.

Orfordness Lighthouse was automated in 1959. Previously it had been a family station with Principal and Assistant Keepers and their families living in the adjacent cottages. In 1938, with the looming threat of War, and increased militarisation on the Ness, the lighthouse was reclassified as a rock station.

The two cottages were unusually linked to the tower via a door on the first floor. In 1959, following automation, the seaward cottage was demolished, and the west cottage was demolished in 1965.

In 2010, following a review of Aids to Navigation, Trinity House announced that Orfordness Lighthouse would be discontinued. In June 2013 the lighthouse was decommissioned.

To compensate for the loss of the light at Orfordness, the range of light at Southwold Lighthouse to the north was increased in December 2012.

The optic was subsequently removed and relocated in 2015 to the headquarters of the International Maritime Organisation, London.

The tower was sold to the Orfordness Lighthouse Trust who sought to preserve the lighthouse and its artefacts as long as possible. Additional defences in the shingle bank were added in front of the tower allowing open days to follow between 2014 and 2019.

In October 2019 a severe storm hit the Ness and the engineer’s bungalow and concrete plinth around the base of the tower were undermined. It became apparent that the artefacts inside the tower needed to be removed as possible before erosion took over. By the following January the foundations of the tower itself were exposed and in February the bungalow and store were demolished.

In July 2020 the contractors arrived to demolish the tower. The lantern was removed and is in storage.

Orfordness Lighthouse Trust

The lighthouse was demolished due to coastal erosion.

Nicholas Gold, from Orfordness Lighthouse Company and a trustee of Orfordness Lighthouse Trust said:

“It is obviously a sad day. But the sea now washes against the base of the building and the entrance porch has been undermined. The cellar walls are exposed. For a number of years it was possible to hold concerts for supporters above the beach overlooking the sea. No longer. This last winter a couple of adjacent buildings, including a beautiful Victorian oil store, were taken by the sea and in recent months the lighthouse has become a hazard...

Regrettably, we had little choice as the owner had to remove the risk of imminent injury. However, by demolishing it carefully, rather than letting it tumble into the sea, it should be possible to recover the main artefacts and preserve them for future generations.

Light houses are magnificent symbols of man’s strength against the elements. The lighthouse has been a truly iconic landmark on the Orford and East Anglian skyline for generations. It would be a sadness to leave this stretch of the coastline naked for too long."

Closed

Closed

http://www.orfordnesslighthouse.co.uk/

deactivated in 2013 - demolished in 2020 (the lens was then placed in storage)