Old Higher Lighthouse
The Old Higher Lighthouse is a disused 19th-century lighthouse on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. It is situated on the west side of Portland, and at the higher part of Portland Bill - known as Branscombe Hill. The lighthouse is Grade II Listed.[1][2]
History
The surrounding coast of Portland, namely Portland Bill and Chesil Beach, have been notorious for the many vessels that became shipwrecked in the area over the centuries.[3][4] After years of local petitions to Trinity House, the organisation saw a lighthouse at the Bill as being necessary. George I granted Trinity House's patent in 1716.[3][4][5]
Two lighthouses were built at Portland Bill - one at Branscombe Hill, and the other on lower land.[4] The two lighthouses shone out for the first time on 29 September 1716.[3] In 1788 Trinity House had Argand lamps installed within the higher lighthouse - the first lighthouse in England to be fitted with them.[6] In 1869 they had both lighthouses rebuilt.[3][6]
At the turn of the 20th-century, Trinity House put forward plans for a new lighthouse at Bill Point, to replace both current lighthouses.[6][3][7] The new lighthouse was completed in 1905,[4] leaving the original two lighthouses to be auctioned.[4][8]
In 1923 the lighthouse was purchased by the doctor, pioneer of birth control and Portland Museum founder Marie Stopes as a summer residence.[9] During World War II, the Royal Observer Corps used the lighthouse tower as a lookout.[10] During the early 1960s the lighthouse was run as a restaurant.[11]
The property's latest owners bought the lighthouse in 1981 and refurbished the entire property. The lighthouse's paraffin store was converted into a holiday let. With a total of four cottages within its grounds, both the Branscombe Lodge Cottage and Stopes Cottage remain available as holiday lets.[12]
References
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- ↑ http://www.oldhigherlighthouse.com/history.html
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- ↑ http://www.oldhigherlighthouse.com/history.html
External links
- Official Old Higher Lighthouse website
- Archive pictures of the Lighthouse when owned by Marie Stopes
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