On a Wing and a Prayer by danob
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Description
As you may have seen in my other images of the Lizard the seas off this part of Corwall are very dangerous.. In my research into the Trinity House Archives, the lighthouse was the brainchild of Sir John Killigrew, a philanthropic Cornishman, who applied for a patent. Apparently, because it was thought that a light on Lizard Point would guide enemy vessels and pirates to a safe landing, the patent was granted with the proviso that the light should be extinguished at the approach of the enemy. Killigrew agreed to erect the lighthouse at his own expense, for a rent of "twenty nobles by the year", for a term of thirty years.
Although he was willing to build the tower, he was too poor to bear the cost of maintenance, and intended to fund the project by collecting from ships that passed the point any voluntary contributions that the owners might offer him!!! . In spite of the difficulty of recruiting local labour, the tower was finished by Christmas 1619, and proved a great benefit to mariners. However,unsurprisingly the shipowners offered nothing for its upkeep, and the mounting costs of maintenance were bankrupting Killigrew. Thus, in the face of more opposition from Trinity House, James I set a fee of one halfpenny a ton on all vessels passing the light. This caused such an uproar from the shipowners that the patent was withdrawn, the light extinguished and the tower demolished. Nothing new in politics it seems even after 400 years!
It was eventually rebuilt and remained much as you see it today, though it may not look very large, the light does reach out for 26 nautical miles
Comments (33)
erlandpil
Again a good capture picture erland
junge1
A wonderful image and an interesting historic note Danny. I like your conclusion to this story. I love to be outside on days like this and observe Mother Nature, Sig.....
kgb224
Excellent capture.Thank you for sharing the history of this light tower.