Portland Breakwater Lighthouse, Dorset

Portland Breakwater Lighthouse

The Portland Breakwater Lighthouse in 2012
Dorset
Location Isle of Portland
Dorset
England
Coordinates 50°35′09″N 2°25′04″W / 50.585854°N 2.417830°W / 50.585854; -2.417830Coordinates: 50°35′09″N 2°25′04″W / 50.585854°N 2.417830°W / 50.585854; -2.417830
Year first constructed 1905
Construction cast iron skeletal tower
Tower shape hexagonal pyramidal tower with central cylinder, balcony and lantern
Markings / pattern white tower and lantern
Height 22 metres (72 ft)
Focal height 22 metres (72 ft)
Characteristic Fl W 10s.
Admiralty number A0314
NGA number 0464
ARLHS number ENG-107
Managing agent Portland Harbour Authority[1]

The Portland Breakwater Lighthouse is a functioning lighthouse located at the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. The lighthouse is located in the commercial port of Portland Harbour, situated on the southern end of northeast breakwater.[2]

History

Portland Breakwater Lighthouse and its surrounding defensive buildings.

The lighthouse is a white hexagonal structure, with a height of 22 metres, and was established in 1905.[3][4] Surrounding the lighthouse are various defensive buildings such as pillboxes.[5]

The lighthouse was originally lit by oil, and later changed to gas. Today it is lit electrically with a modern LED lamp.[6][7] The lighthouse's current use continues to aid navigation of boats in the area, warning mariners of the breakwaters by giving a white flash every 10 seconds.[4]

Lighthouse Staff

In a 2005 newsletter of the South Dorset Amateur Radio, former keeper John Trotter recalled memories of the lighthouse.[6][7]

“ I was a supernumerary Assistant Keeper at Portland Breakwater Lighthouse in 1966 - I did 2 two month stints. We lived in one of the buildings, just down from the light tower. We had to climb them every two hours during the night to wind up the lens and pump oil up to the lamp. The breakwater was shared with about a million rats and each time you went out at night there would be a carpet of them fleeing from the torchlight. We took it in turns to go ashore for one morning a week. ”

See also


References

  1. ↑ Portland Breakwater (A Head) The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved May 4, 2016
  2. ↑ Breakwater Fort. "Dorset - History - Breakwater Fort". BBC. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  3. ↑ Scribbles. "Dorset Maritime History". Pbenyon.plus.com. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  4. 1 2 "Foghorn Publishing ... Lighthouse Explorer Database ... Portland Breakwater Light (England)". Lighthousedigest.com. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  5. ↑ "Eastern Breakwater Portland Harbour:: OS grid SY7076 :: Geograph Britain and Ireland - photograph every grid square!". Geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  6. 1 2 "SDRS Catswhisker Contents - South Dorset Amateur Radio". Sites.google.com. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  7. 1 2 "Powered by Google Docs". Docs.google.com. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
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