Hartland Point Lighthouse, North Devon
N 51° 01.333 W 004° 31.518
30U E 393024 N 5653402
Hartland Point Lighthouse is located on an exposed headland in the most remote part of North Devon. It gives a guide to vessels approaching the Bristol Channel. The light has a range of 8 nautical miles.
Waymark Code: WMDKJA
Location: South West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 01/26/2012
Views: 7
The lighthouse was built by Trinity House in 1874 under the direction of Sir James Douglass. Hartland Point lighthouse was built on a large rock at the tip of the point. It was threatened by the undermining action of the sea to such an extent that rock had to be broken from the cliff head behind the lighthouse to fall on the beach and form a barrier against the waves. Unfortunately this procedure had to be repeated at frequent intervals as the deposits were washed away whenever a North Westerly gale coincided with a high spring tide. Eventually a permanent barrier and a sea wall 30 metres long and 6 metres high was built in 1925. The lighthouse was automated in 1984. The access road down to the lighthouse has also been undermined by the relentless actions of the sea. To allow maintainance to be carried out on the lighthouse the old keepers houses have been demolished and a helipad has been built.