Pendeen Lighthouse

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The Lighthouse Pendeen Lighthouse is a lighthouse on the coast of Cornwall. He is eleven kilometers north-west of Penzance on the cliff coast of Pendeen Watch. The height of the lighthouse is 59 m above the Middle high tide.

Description

The lighthouse is 17 meters high. It consists of skirted with concrete rubble stone. The tower consists of two floors, each with a space. In addition, the lamp house with a surrounding gallery. To the lighthouse include a one-story extension with a flat roof and a smaller building with fog horn. The buildings are painted white.

Signals

The white beacon is sm ( 30 km) to see 16 wide. It is produced with a 35 W mercury vapor lamp of the type MBI. To turn the lamp rotates a Fresnellinsensystem so that observers in four flashes every 15 seconds to see (identification Fl ( 4) 15s ). It is still the original lens apparatus used. It weighs 2.5 tons and floats to 750 kg of mercury, making it easy to turn.

If necessary, a fog horn every 20 seconds, a signal. It is still audible on the five kilometers away Cape Cornwall.

History

Cornwall was to the middle of one of the largest centers for tin mining world. Among other things, the shipment of the product led the sailors through this area. Before the Cape Cornwall are dangerous shoals, at the time of planning, there was indeed the south Longships Lighthouse, north of the Trevose Head Lighthouse. Both, however, were not to be seen from the Cape from what the shipping significantly endangered. The lighthouse was from January 1899 to designs by the chief engineer of Trinity House, the operating company of the lighthouses in England and Wales, Thomas Matthews, built .. During the construction of the summit of the cape Pendeen Watch had to be terraced which extensive earthworks required.

Originally a five -burner Argand oil lamp with a light intensity of 157,000 candela was used, which is now visible in the Trinity House National Lighthouse Centre in Penzance. Since 1926, the beacon is electric.

By 1995, lighthouse keeper were responsible for the operation, the lighthouse was automated. The control is now via a telemetry connection to the Trinity House Operational Control Centre in Harwich. The installation, originally offered Accommodation for three lighthouse keeper with their families, was converted into apartments.