Pendeen Lighthouse A5670, Cornwall, UK

Lat./Long:                          50°09.8' N 5°40.2' W Location:                        Pendeen Watch Character:                     Fl (4) W 15s Height of tower:           17 Elevation:                     59 Visible:                         27 Original optic:              First Order Catadioptric Fixed Lens Present optic:                First Order Catadioptric Fixed Lens Fog signal:                    Siren 20s Other buildings:                 Fog signal building, keepers cottage First lit:                         1900

We first saw this lovely lighthouse on our honeymoon in 2002 and we loved it so much, that five years later, we came back to see the place again, when we celebrated our wedding anniversary.

Sadly both times we found the lighthouse closed. The reason is, the keepers house has been converted into holiday accommodation.

The light was first lit on the 26th of January 1900 and provides an additional reference point along the Cornish coast after too many sips foundered on their way along the steep cliffs of this coast.

The station was designed by the Trinity House Engineer Sir Thomas Matthews. They were built by a local firm Arthur Carkeek of Redruth. The lantern was supplied by Chance Brothers.

Originally there was a Argand Lamp with five wicks, the oil for which was stored in one of the downstairs rooms in the lighthouse. The lamp was electrified in 1926 and initially displayed at the Lighthouse Museum in Penzance and we wonder where it has been taken to, now the Museum is closed.

The light was automated in May 1995 and a new lamp changer, emergency light and fog detector were installed. The lighthouse, like so many others, is now controlled remotely from  the Trinity House Operational Control Centre at Harwich.

The old fog signal building still displays the two diaphone horns, even though it is now a electronic fog horn

This is what the lighthouse looks like from the seaward side