Godrevy Island Lighthouse A5654

Godrevy Island Lighthouse, Cornwall, UK

Lat./Long:	50º14.5'N, 5º23.9'E
Character:	Fl WR 10s
Height of tower:	26 m
Elevation:	37 m
Visible:	W 12 M, R 9 M
Other lights:	4 FR (vert) shown on radio mast 6.5M ESE
First lit:	1st March 1859

The island on which this lighthouse stands is situated at St. Ives Bay in Cornwall. Today it guides fishermen and yachtsmen into St. Ives and helps them to avoid a dangerous reef called the Stones.

This lighthouse was the inspiration for Virginia Wolfe's "To the Lighthouse"

Trinity House appointed James Walker to build the station in 1859 at a cost of £7,082. The white octagonal tower was built from rubble stone bedded in mortar, and is sited together with its adjoining keepers' cottages almost in the center of the largest of the rocks. The station was also equipped with a 3 cwt bell as a Fog signal, and this was struck once every 5 seconds.

In 1939 the station received a new second order fixed catadioptric lens and the station was automated. The fog bell was removed then.   In 1995 further modernization followed and the station was converted to solar power. The lighthouse is now monitored and controlled from the Trinity House Operations Control Centre at Harwich in Essex.

Recently (2005) Trinity House had decided to de-activate the station. But following this decision was reversed after it was proved that the light is invaluable to the local fishermen and the yachtsmen sailing in the area.
 

This is one of the lighthouses we photographed while we were on honeymoon in Cornwall in 2002. Sadly we could not visit this station and had to take these pictures from the mainland.