History
Construction of the lighthouse began in 1887, led by Sir James Douglass, Engineer in Chief of Trinity House. A light was lit on a temporary structure in February 1889 and the lighthouse itself began operating on 3 September 1890. It replaced three lighthouses that had been condemned as a result of serious coastal erosion. The lantern itself was previously used at the Happisburgh low lighthouse but became available when the latter light was demolished.
The original light was powered by a six-wick Argand oil burner. Just six days after the light was commissioned there was a fire in the lighthouse with the burner being destroyed. The inexperience of the new lighthouse keepers was blamed for the fire. The burner was replaced with an oil-fired light in 1906 and a petroleum burner in 1923. The light was electrified and automated in 1938. It was converted to battery operation, with the batteries charged using mains electricity, in 2001.
The lighthouse, along with Lowestoft lighthouse to the north, was threatened with closure by Trinity House in 2005, with shipping companies increasingly using satellite navigation systems rather than relying on lighthouses. Both lighthouses were reprieved in 2009 following a review by Trinity House that found that satellite navigation systems were not yet sufficiently reliable.
Read more about this topic: Southwold Lighthouse
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