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St Bees Lighthouse, St Bees Head
St Bees Lighthouse
locality:-   North Head
locality:-   St Bees Head
civil parish:-   St Bees (formerly Cumberland)
county:-   Cumbria
locality type:-   lighthouse
coordinates:-   NX94151437
1Km square:-   NX9414
10Km square:-   NX91

photograph
CDL32.jpg (taken 23.6.2015)  
photograph
BPQ75.jpg  Coat of arms of the Corporation of Trinity House, motto:-
"TRINITAS IN UNITAM" (taken 29.8.2008)  
evidence:-   old map:- OS County Series (Cmd 67 13) 
placename:-  St Bees Lighthouse
source data:-   Maps, County Series maps of Great Britain, scales 6 and 25 inches to 1 mile, published by the Ordnance Survey, Southampton, Hampshire, from about 1863 to 1948.
evidence:-   old text:- Gents Mag
source data:-   Magazine, The Gentleman's Magazine or Monthly Intelligencer or Historical Chronicle, published by Edward Cave under the pseudonym Sylvanus Urban, and by other publishers, London, monthly from 1731 to 1922.
image G7480005, button  goto source
Gentleman's Magazine 1748 p.5  "..."
"On the 30th we reached Bees-head, where is a light-house, but, in my opinion, the cradle is too much sunk within the battlements to afford a serviceable light to sailors; the point indeed is so prodigiously exposed, that a greater elevation would occasion a far greater consumption of fire; but coals are so plentiful in this neighbourhood, the expence ought not to be regarded, as 'tis the first land that sailors from the west endeavour to make. ..."
evidence:-   old drawing:- Smith 1746 B
source data:-   Drawing, pencil and ink, A View of Bees Head, in a Survey of the Coast of Cumberland, by George Smith, 1746.
image  click to enlarge
SM2102.jpg
ms at bottom:-  "A View of Bees-head, from the rocks above White-haven."
item:-  Carlisle Library : 5.2
Image © Carlisle Library
evidence:-   old map:- Donald 1774 (Cmd) 
source data:-   Map, hand coloured engraving, 3x2 sheets, The County of Cumberland, scale about 1 inch to 1 mile, by Thomas Donald, engraved and published by Joseph Hodskinson, 29 Arundel Street, Strand, London, 1774.
image
D4NX91SW.jpg
"Light House"
lighthouse tower 
item:-  Carlisle Library : Map 2
Image © Carlisle Library
evidence:-   old map:- Otley 1818
source data:-   Map, uncoloured engraving, The District of the Lakes, Cumberland, Westmorland, and Lancashire, scale about 4 miles to 1 inch, by Jonathan Otley, 1818, engraved by J and G Menzies, Edinburgh, Scotland, published by Jonathan Otley, Keswick, Cumberland, et al, 1833.
image
OT02NX91.jpg
"Lt. House"
Marked by a tower. 
item:-  JandMN : 48.1
Image © see bottom of page
evidence:-   old text:- Gents Mag
source data:-   Magazine, The Gentleman's Magazine or Monthly Intelligencer or Historical Chronicle, published by Edward Cave under the pseudonym Sylvanus Urban, and by other publishers, London, monthly from 1731 to 1922.
image G831A301, button  goto source
Gentleman's Magazine 1831 part 1 p.301  "[St Bees Head] ...On this height the new light-house, with nine reflectors, was erected in January 1822. ..."
evidence:-   old map:- Ford 1839 map
source data:-   Map, uncoloured engraving, Map of the Lake District of Cumberland, Westmoreland and Lancashire, scale about 3.5 miles to 1 inch, published by Charles Thurnam, Carlisle, and by R Groombridge, 5 Paternoster Row, London, 3rd edn 1843.
image
FD02NX91.jpg
"Light House"
Tower symbol, on St Bees Head. 
item:-  JandMN : 100.1
Image © see bottom of page
evidence:-   old map:- Walker 1842
source data:-   Chart, Position of all the Lighthouses in the British Isles, scale about 38 nautical miles to 1 inch, published by J and A Walker, 72 South Castle Street, Liverpool, Lancashire, 1842.
marked as a coast light  "St. Bees Hd. - Steady"
evidence:-   HO chart:- Hydrographic Office 1850s onwards (edn 1973) 
placename:-  St Bees Head
source data:-   Charts, Irish Sea, Solway Firth, etc, published by the Hydrographic Office from 1850s onwards.
"St. Bees Head / Gp. Fl. (2) 20 sec. 336 ft. 21 M. / Fog Detr. Lt. E.F. Horn (2)"
evidence:-   old map:- Hydrographic Office 1850s onwards
source data:-   Chart, uncoloured engraving, England West Coast sheet XI, Fleetwood to the Firth of Solway, scale about 2.5 miles to 1 inch, by H Denham and G Williams, 1846, engraved by J and C Walker, published by the Hydrographic Office, 1850 corrected to 1863
coast view on Admiralty chart 
image  click to enlarge
HY01P5.jpg
"Lighthouse"
item:-  Carlisle Library : Map 93
Image © Carlisle Library
evidence:-   old text:- Admiralty 1933
source data:-   image AY01p384, button  goto source
Page 384:-  "... St. Bees Head light kept in sight leads westward of these dangers [Selker Rocks etc], in depths of not less than 10 fathoms (18m3) when abreast of Selker rocks, and vessels should not venture within the 10 fathom (18m3) line when abreast of the rocks."
Page 385:-  "..."
"The whole coastline north-westward of Kokoarrah scar is clear of danger at one mile offshore, with depths of from 5 to 7 fathoms (9m1 to 12m8) at that distance."
"St. Bees Head light kept in sight leads clear of all these dangers."
image AY01p389, button  goto source
Page 389:-  "... St. Bees head ..."
"A light is exhibited, at an elevation of 336 feet (102m4), from a white circular tower, 55 feet (16m8) in height, situated near the edge of the cliff. A fog signal is sounded from the lighthouse."
"St. Bees head, with its lighthouse, is easily recognised from a considerable distance. ..."
source data:-   Book, channel pilot, with photographs, including coast views, West Coast of England Pilot, published for the Hydrographic Department of the Admiralty, by HMSO, 8th edn 1933.
image
AY0102.jpg
item:-  JandMN : 1053
Image © see bottom of page

photograph
BPQ73.jpg  Lantern, and the fresnel lens.
(taken 29.8.2008)  
photograph
BPQ74.jpg  Weathervane on the lantern.
(taken 29.8.2008)  
photograph
BPQ71.jpg (taken 29.8.2008)  
photograph
BPQ72.jpg (taken 29.8.2008)  
photograph
BPQ76.jpg  Foghorn, a short way off on the cliff top,
(taken 29.8.2008)  

Woodman, Richard: 1985: View from the Sea: Century Publishing (London):: ISBN 0 7126 1024 3
hearsay:-  
 Trinity House were granted a patent for a light here in 1718, requested in response to merchant traders sailing in these seas. They farmed out the task by a lease to Thomas Lutwige for 99 years at an annual rent of L20.00. He was to build and maintain a light, and was allowed to levy three halfpence per ton on shipping at Whitehaven, Workington and Maryport for his trouble. He built an untidy tower with lighthouse keepers' accomodation at the base. The keepers were paid 7s. a week; they climbed up ladders to tend the fire in an iron basket hung from a gallows at the top.
William Hutchinson commented on the uselessness of coal lights in 1760s:-
"Open coal fire light, exposed to all winds and weathers, cannot be made to burn and show a constant steady blaze to be seen at a sufficient distance ... for in storms of wind, when lights are most wanted, these fires are made to burn furiously ... so as to melt the very ironwork about the grate, and in cold weather when it snows, hails or rains hard, the keepers of the lights do not care to expose themselves ..."
Robert Stevenson described the light in 1801:-
"St Bees light is from coals exposed upon the top of an old tower in an open chauffer, which is at the top only two feet diameter, at bottom one foot six inches and two feet deep; so that in storms, so small a body of fire cannot be kept up as it ought ot be. About one hundred and thirty tons of coal are said to be used annually."
William Daniell RA, sketched the ruinous lighthouse in 1814, noting that it:-
"... was of the meanest description and provided with a very bad light supplied by a coal fire. I imagine a light in this situation is admitted to be of very little use or such a one as this could not scarcley be submitted to or escpae the vigilant observation of the Trinity House."
It displayed the light of a coal fire, and its column of smoke in the daytime, till 1822 when the tower caught fire. There is said to be a painting of this early light at Trinity House.
Joseph Nelson built a new tower at a cost of L2322.00, with argand burners and reflectors. In the mid 19th century it was altered to a flashing light. New optics were fitted in 1951; a 1500 watt electric lamp with a catadioptric lens, showing two white flashes in twenty seconds. The light intensity is 146000 candelas and is visible 21miles on a clear dark night.
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