History
In 1855 the Lord Commissioners of the Admiralty requested that the lighthouse be installed other than the harbour light at Douglas Harbour. A parliamentary report at the time revealed that the light already existing in Douglas had been out of operation since 1850. There were originally two lighthouses, one on the pier which had to remain a harbour light and this one. The Douglas Head Lighthouse is the only sea light between the Calf of Man and the Point of Ayre - some forty miles away.
Structural problems meant the lighthouse was restructured in 1892.
The foghorn, known locally as 'Moaning Minnie', was added in 1908. It caused many complaints in Douglas but it was later moved around the head to reduce the upset to local people.
The lighthouse was automated in 1986.
Recently, a new public footpath was constructed by the Commissioners from the top of Port Skillion down to the Light for the benefit of tourists and sightseers.
Read more about this topic: Douglas Head Lighthouse
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“The history of literature—take the net result of Tiraboshi, Warton, or Schlegel,—is a sum of a very few ideas, and of very few original tales,—all the rest being variation of these.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Hence poetry is something more philosophic and of graver import than history, since its statements are rather of the nature of universals, whereas those of history are singulars.”
—Aristotle (384–322 B.C.)
“The history of reform is always identical; it is the comparison of the idea with the fact. Our modes of living are not agreeable to our imagination. We suspect they are unworthy. We arraign our daily employments.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)