Latitude:50 °
42.5’ N
Longitude: 1°32.9’ W
Height: of tower 26 meters
Character: FL (4) WR 14s
Range: W 13 M, R 11 M
We saw Hurst Point for the first
time from the ferry, when we crossed over to the Isle of Wight in September
2000, which was not close enough for a really good picture. But we had a chance
for a closer look in July 2002.
And we visited again in April 2009
for the opening of the Association of Lighthouse Keepers Exhibition Room
in Hurst Castle.
The 1910 tower
and a picture of a picture showing how it looked like.
(this picture is part of the
Trinity House Exhibit at Hurst Castle)
It is claimed there was a light
station here as early as 1733, but Trinity House records don’t show a patent
being obtained until January 1782.
A tower, west of the old Hurst Castle was
first lit in September 1786, but this light was found to be obscured from some
directions, and an additional light was built in 1812. In the period 1865 – 1873
extensive reorganisation of the castle made it necessary to re-position the
lights.
A new light, the Low Light was built in 1866. A new Low Light in 1911 - the
square metal construction attached to the wall of the tower, which is still
visible today - in turn replaced this low light.
This is the distinctive red day mark the tower carried.
The Low Lighthouse, which was built on the wall of Hurst Castle, was decommissioned and painted grey (it was originally red) to match the surrounding background colours in order to eliminate navigational confusion. The old light on the wall of the castle
A major modernisation of Hurst Point High Lighthouse was completed in July 1997. Prompted by the growth in volume and diversity of traffic using the Needles Channel and following extensive consultation with the marine community, high intensity projectors were installed on Hurst High Lighthouse.
These are exhibited day and night to mark the channel between the Needles and the Shingles Bank. The projectors, sited in the service room below the lantern of the High Lighthouse, provide an accurate system of red, green and white directional lights giving precise cut offs over narrow arcs of visibility, which can be realigned in the event of movement of the Shingles Bank.
It is a long way up to the tower
But the climb is SO worth it!
The first order lens is split in parts of different focal length.
And the part on the right has a red sector.
The main light at Hurst High still uses the unusual first order lens which is
separated into sectors of different focal lengths with a red sector provided by
shades inside the lantern. The acetylene light source has been replaced by
standard Trinity House electrically powered equipment.
We had a wonderful day when we visited Hurst
Castle to see the Trinity House Exhibition and the opening of the new ALK room
at Hurst Castle.
