Beachy Head Lighthouse

Beachy Head Lighthouse

Lighthouse completed in 1902, designed by Sir Thomas Matthews, engineer-in-chief for Trinity House, with Albert Havelock Case as resident engineer.

The lighthouse is constructed of Cornish granite blocks over a concealed concrete base, with a glazed and steel lantern and gallery fitted with cast iron railings. It is a tapering circular structure of eight storeys built over a deep plinth, with an attached rectangular landing stage to the north.

The tapering column rises above the deep base and is painted alternately red and white. It comprises eight storeys above the base, corbelled out beneath the gallery, which has cast iron railings and a glazed domed lantern. The height from the lowest rock level to the top of the gallery is nearly 144 feet (43.9 metres). The diameter at foundation level is 47 feet (14.3 metres), tapering to 28 feet (8.5 metres) at ground floor entrance lobby level, where the walls are almost 9 feet (2.7 metres) thick. The first three floors above the entrance lobby increase by about 10 inches (250 millimetres) in diameter at each level, and from the fourth floor all remaining rooms are 14 feet in diameter. The top floor walls are about 2 feet 6 inches thick (762 millimetres) and are corbelled out to provide a 23 feet 6 inches (7.2 metres) diameter gallery.

An integral granite landing stage with steps on the north side gives access to the beach at low tide. Access to the lighthouse is by the landing stage and a copper fixed ladder about 14 feet high on the north side, leading to the entrance. This has an architrave with an ogee head bearing the date 1902 and the crest and motto of Trinity House. A pair of panelled gun metal storm-proof doors lead to a lobby with a metal ventilation grille above an oak six-fielded panelled inner door. A tall opening above the entrance has a horizontal crane beam for hauling up provisions. Windows are cambered casements with metal hinges. The gallery has painted cast iron railings with circular principal posts with urn finials. The lantern has a reeded cast steel base with a special ventilation system to prevent condensation on the lantern panes, with a low four-panelled door on the eastern side, large diamond-shaped panes with cast iron steel glazing bars covered with gun metal cappings, and a steel dome topped by a drum ventilator surmounted by an arrow-shaped wind vane and lightning conductor rod.

Interior

A steep iron geometrical staircase on the outer wall leads to all floors. The entrance floor contains a WC with an original curved door with chamfered panels. The first floor, originally an oil room, also has an original curved door. The third floor, originally a store room, remains in use for this purpose. The fourth floor living room retains a curved door and original curved panelling. The fifth floor bedroom retains three original bunk beds constructed to fit the rounded shape of the walls, known as banana bunks, with storage cupboards above and below and oak plank panelling. The sixth floor service room has a built-in curved oak cupboard with upper glazed doors and lower panelled doors, and a wall plaque reading: "THIS LIGHTHOUSE WAS ERECTED BY THE CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE IN THE YEAR 1902. REAR ADMIRAL H.R.H THE PRINCE OF WALES K.C., MASTER CAPTAIN SIR GEORGE RAWLINSON VYVYAN, K.C.M.G. DEPUTY MASTER, T. MATTHEWS, ENGINEER-IN-CHIEF. A. HAVELOCK CASE RESIDENT ENGINEER."

The lantern originally contained a Douglass-designed first order dioptric apparatus, which was replaced in the late twentieth century, but the original metal annular tray on pedestal in which it floated, containing about 900 pounds of mercury, survives. The original clockwork drive mechanism survives, consisting of a 480-pound weight suspended from the mechanism by a steel wire, descending inside a hollow iron stanchion positioned below the optics pedestal base. When in service the weight required to be rewound to its original starting position every four hours and has a gauge showing the position of the weight and a warning bell advising when the weight needed to be brought back to the top of the tower. The walls of the lantern have metal letters indicating the points of the compass.