Anvil Point

Anvil Point and Anvil Point Lighthouse located near Swanage on the English Channel coast in the Isle of Purbeck, in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England.

Geology

From Orcombe Point, in the west, to Old Harry Rocks, in the east, covering a distance of 153 kilometers, a coastline which has been declared as the first natural landscape in England by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Anvil Point is part of the Jurassic Coast, it is one of the natural wonders of this world and the coast is known for its fossils.

Anvil Point is on the grounds of Durlston Country Park and is situated on a hill about three kilometers from the city center Swanage. Anvil Point is located in the eastern part of the Portland limestone and the Purbeck stone cliffs that extend from Durlston Head to St Albans Head. The area of ​​the Isle of Purbeck has a long history as a quarry, especially along the cliffs to the south. The quarries, for example, Tilly Whim Caves, Dancing Ledge, Seacombe and Winspit, were suppliers for Portland limestone, Purbeck stone and Purbeck marble.

The cliffs are popular with geologists, with walkers, as well as climbers.

The Lighthouse

The lighthouse is built of local stone and was completed in 1881. The lighthouse itself is twelve feet high, the light is due to the elevated position at a height of 45 meters above the sea level. The light is positioned to have the ships on the English Channel coast. The Needles Leuchttur (on the Isle of Wight ) in the east, Anvil Point Lighthouse and Lighthouse Portland Bill ( on the Isle of Portland ) to the west form a straight line. Anvil Point Lighthouse is exactly in the middle.

Originally the light was generated by a paraffin vapor burner. During 1960, the lighthouse was modernized and electrified. The Anvil Point Lighthouse has a 1000 -watt light bulb. Characteristic is a white strobe light, with an intensity of 500,000 candela, every 10 seconds. The range is about 24 nautical miles (1 nautical mile ( nm) is 1852 meters). The old fog signal was a 5 -minute gun. The fog signal was replaced by new machines in 1981, but these have now been set. Anvil Point lighthouse was fully automated on 31 May 1991. It is now monitored and controlled from the Trinity House Control Center in Harwich. The lighthouse has a Visitor Centre and is sometimes open to the public. Some of the old buildings have been renovated and converted and are now rented out as holiday homes.