Long Description:The seas around Beachy Head were known as the "Mariners'
Graveyard," full of rocky outcrops below the surface, causing many
ships to founder. Parson Jonathan Darby (1667-1726), rector of East
Dean, became so concerned by the number of shipwrecks and resultant
loss of life that, single-handedly, working with chisel, pick and
axe and often wearing his familiar beaver skin hat, he set about
enlarging an old smuggler's cave in the cliffs. Here, on stormy
nights, he hung out lanterns to warn passing ships of the dangers.
After his death in October 1726, the abandoned cavern was once
again taken over by smugglers and little appeared to have been done
to prevent further shipwrecks. That was until February 1822, when
The Thames, an East Indiaman, was beached after hitting a rock off
Beachy Head. A concerned Captain of the Royal Navy, who himself had
narrowly escaped a similar disaster, vigorously petitioned Trinity
House, an association concerned with lighthouse erection and
maintenance, to take some action.
John Fuller (1757-1834), a wealthy Member of Parliament for
Sussex, exerted his influence to get a lighthouse built on top of
the cliffs. The first was no more than a temporary experimental
wooden structure, which became operational on the 1st October
1828.
The building of a proper lighthouse, Belle Tout, started in 1829
to the design of W. Hallett and J. Walker, using huge blocks of
Aberdeen granite that were hauled over the down land by teams of
Sussex oxen. Its 30 oil lamps, each housed in separate reflectors
fixed to a platform that revolved every two minutes, were first lit
on October 11th 1834. They threw out a 22,000 candle-power light
visible 23 miles out to sea, using 2 gallons of oil per hour. But
one important factor had been overlooked in the choice of site for
Belle Tout. Sea mists often hugged the cliff tops, obscuring the
light. The shipwrecks continued, so in July 1899 work began on the
erection of the present Beachy Head lighthouse at the foot of the
cliffs. On October 2nd 1902, Belle Tout was decommissioned and
eventually sold off as "a small, substantial 3-storey
building."
In 1923 it was purchased for £1,500 by distinguished neurologist
Sir James Purves-Stewart, K.C.M.G., C.B., M.D., who constructed an
access road, installed an electric generator and added an extension
to the building, turning it into a unique family home.
However, in his book Sands of Time, Sir James wrote, "Soon after
taking possession we read a warning article in the local press
stating that owing to coastal erosion, grave fears were entertained
for the safety of the lighthouse. We decided to secure expert
advice. A professor of geology came down from London and, after
examining the position, informed us that coastal erosion was
undoubtedly going on at a steady rate, and that at the end of six
hundred years our tower would find itself at the very edge of the
cliff." This deduction appears to have been partly based on
measurements showing Belle Tout to be 34m from the cliff edge in
1835 and 30m in 1890.
In 1935 King George V and Queen Mary visited the lighthouse
whilst His Majesty was convalescing in nearby Eastbourne. Sir James
recounted that they were delightful visitors and easy to entertain.
He is quoted as saying, "My wife conducted Queen Mary all over our
home, displaying our modest family treasurers. Meanwhile King
George entrusted himself to me as a separate guide and took a keen
sailor's interest in the various gadgets that had been fitted up.
When we came to the foot of the spiral staircase leading to the
lantern room, Queen Mary was already aloft, enjoying the stunning
view. She called down to him, 'George, don't come up here, it's far
too steep for you.' To which his majesty replied, 'Dammit, I'm
coming.'"
During the Second World War Belle Tout was left empty, its
owners having been evacuated from this vulnerable part of the
English coast. By 1942 a firing range had been constructed some 200
yards east of the lighthouse. The Canadian troops, blasting away
with everything from light howitzers to cannons, used old cars as
targets, but managed to hit Belle Tout several times. By 1943,
daylight could be seen through the shattered 6-foot-thick
walls.
In 1948 Sir James, having received £5000 war compensation,
offered the lighthouse to Eastbourne Borough Council. A councillor
had suggested that, for an estimated cost of £10,000 for purchase
and repair, there might be the possibility of turning Belle Tout
into a tourist attraction, but with heavy expenses and little
prospect of an immediate financial return this idea was
dropped.
However, as a valued historical building, Belle Tout was
eventually taken over by the Council anyway, and in 1956, it was
leased out to Dr. Edward Revill Cullinan, who embarked on a
rebuilding programme to the domestic part, adding a septic tank,
mains electricity and water.
In 1962 the lease of Belle Tout was sold on for £15,000, and
changed hands as a private dwelling a number of times. The BBC
purchased it in 1986 for a rumoured £250,000 to use as a backdrop
for a TV film The Life and Loves of a She-Devil, by author Fay
Weldon. They added a temporary stage set on the seaward side and a
fake lantern, and constructed tiered gardens, sun terraces and a
patio. When all the filming was complete Belle Tout was up for sale
again, and bought by businessman Paul Foulkes and his wife Shirley,
who continued with the restoration, sympathetically keeping to the
unique maritime features of the lighthouse. But as much as they
loved the building, it eventually proved to be too far away from
their home to be an ongoing weekend retreat. So, in 1995, the
lighthouse went up for sale again, this time for £350,000.
Bought by Mark and Louise Roberts in 1996, because "we fell in
love with it," it soon became evident, that, after a number of
substantial cliff falls nearby, Belle Tout was soon going to end up
on the beach 285 feet below. Ambitious plans to do the almost
impossible and move the whole lighthouse back some 50 metres, were
revealed by the Roberts in 1997. The scheme, carried out by the
Abbey Pynford company, involved excavating the ground around the
building, putting up beams to support each wall, raising the
lighthouse two feet in the air with hydraulic jacks, putting in
sliding tracks and lowering the whole 850 tons onto grease
skates.
The South Downs Lighthouse Trust charity was set up to raise the
necessary £250,000 for the rescue package. Every contributor to the
moving process would get an entry ticket to watch this piece of
history in action.
Further massive cliff falls and the discovery of unexploded
world war two bombs on the beach provoked many worries for the
Roberts, who began to fear their treasured listed building would
never be moved in time. Their patio was now only three metres from
the edge. Mark Roberts told the local press, "I couldn't believe it
when the Coastguards said there might have to be a controlled
explosion. I just thought, I don't need this. It would be
devastating to lose this building."
But by March 17th 1999, after a year of planning, everything
appeared ready for Belle Tout's monumental move. In bright sunshine
hundreds of media from all around the world watched as Joy
Cullinan, who had once lived in Belle Tout, switched on the
hydraulic pump at 9.25 am and the whole operation began.
At a painstakingly slow pace -- just two feet in the first three
hours -- the lighthouse was moved 28 feet in the first day, every
millimetre controlled by computer. So procedures would not be
hampered by further cliff falls, no heavy digging machinery was
used on the site and all the chalk from the foundations was taken
out on wheelbarrows. By the evening of Thursday, March 18th, Belle
Tout reached its final position. Louise Roberts is quoted as
saying, "We need a long ladder to reach our kitchen door now. But
the magnificient views we had are even better now. And all our
glass bottles are still perfectly in place!"
Having originally leased Belle Tout from Eastbourne Borough
Council, after three years Louise Roberts was legally entitled to
buy the freehold for £900. Today, this little lighthouse still
stands proudly on the top of the cliffs, admired by thousands of
visitors and walkers on the South Downs Way. Its only other
neighbours are rabbits and sheep, and according to local legend,
the odd ghost or two. Belle Tout looks good for another 170
years.
Original Article by Elizabeth Wright
