Maryport_New_Lighthouse
Maryport Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Maryport Lighthouse is a small lighthouse located in Maryport, Cumbria, England, formerly run by England's general lighthouse authority, Trinity House. It is a Grade II listed building.[1]
| Location | Maryport, United Kingdom  |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 54°43′04″N 3°30′38″W |
Maryport Old Lighthouse  | |
| Constructed | 1846 |
| Foundation | 1-storey stone octagonal prism basement |
| Construction | cast iron (tower) |
| Height | 11 m (36 ft) |
| Shape | two-stage octagonal tower with lantern |
| Markings | unpainted (foundation), white (tower), black (lantern) |
| Heritage | Grade II listed building |
| Deactivated | 1996 |
| Maryport New Lighthouse | |
The new light at the end of the pier extension | |
| Constructed | 1996 |
| Construction | aluminium (tower) |
| Height | 4.7 m (15 ft), 6 m (20 ft) |
| Shape | square |
| Markings | white (tower), black (foundation) |
| Power source | mains electricity |
| Operator | Trinity House (–2010), Maryport Harbour Authority (2010–) |
| First lit | 1996 |
| Focal height | 10 m (33 ft) |
| Intensity | 120 candela |
| Range | 6 nmi (11 km; 6.9 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fl W 1.5s |
Maryport is said to have possessed a small lighthouse in 1796; five years later Robert Stevenson described it in a report as an oil lamp with two reflectors.[2]
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.[3] 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).[4] It is 36 feet (11 m) high and consists of an octagonal metal plinth, column and lantern on top of a rusticated stone base.[1] It was originally gas-lit.[5]
Subsequently, the harbour continued to expand. In 1852, following a storm, the south pier (on which the lighthouse stands) was extended,[6] 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).[5] In 1858 the Harbour Trustees commissioned James Chance to manufacture a small (fourth-order) fixed optic for the lighthouse,[7] which gave the tidal light a range of 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi).[8] 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.[5]
By 1946 the light was powered by acetylene. The painter L. S. Lowry used Maryport and the lighthouse in several of his paintings.[9] Trinity House took charge of it in 1961.
In 1996 Trinity House provided a new aluminium tower (54.7178°N 3.5107°W / 54.7178; -3.5107 (New Maryport Lighthouse, Cumbria)) for the end of the pier extension, lit by mains electricity.[2] At 4.7 metres tall and with a light intensity of only 120 candelas, the new tower was one of Trinity House's smaller beacons; it displays a flashing white light visible 6 nmi (6.9 mi) out to sea.[10][11]
In 2010 Trinity House transferred responsibility for the new light to the Maryport Harbour Authority.[12] The old lighthouse was restored and repainted in 2017 as part of a government-funded initiative for the refurbishment of seaside towns.[13] Maryport Lighthouse was recognised during the 370th Council Meeting of the Round Table of Britain and Ireland
- "The Lighthouse, The Harbour, Maryport, Cumbria". Historic England. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- Woodman, Richard; Wilson, Jane (2002). The Lighthouses of Trinity House. Bradford-on-Avon, Wilts.: Thomas Reed. p. 244.
- Rennison, R. W. (1981). Civil Engineering Heritage: Northern England (2nd ed.). London: Thomas Telford Publishing. p. 114. ISBN 07277-2518-1.
- A page containing interesting facts about lighthouses worldwide Archived 13 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- "Maryport Conservation Area Character Appraisal" (PDF). Allerdale Borough Council. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
- Chance, James Frederick (1902). The Lighthouse Work of Sir James Chance, Baronet (PDF). London: Smith, Elder & co. p. 166. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- Davenport Adams, W. H. (1870). Lighthouses and Lightships: A Descriptive and Historical Account of Their Mode of Construction and Organization. London: T. Nelson & Sons. p. 303.
- Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Northwest England". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
- Mariport light Lighthouse Explorer. Retrieved 2 May 2016
- Trinity House annual report 2010 Archived 4 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- "Maryport Lighthouse restoration unveiled". ITV News. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
