(
visit link) for a homemade movie.
Trinity House surveyed Bishop Rock to build a lighthouse in 1843, and work began in 1847.[1] The engineer in chief, James Walker, decided on a 120-foot-tall (37 m) design consisting of accommodation, and a light on top of iron legs.[1] The light was never lit, since on 5 February 1850 a storm washed the tower away.
In the second attempt, James Walker began building a stone structure in 1851.[1] The site presented a number of difficulties; the paucity of land available area, and the slope of the rock meant that the lowest stone had to be laid below the water level of the lowest spring tides. Despite multiple problems, the tower was completed without loss of life, and the lighthouse shone its first light on 1 September 1858. The total cost for the lighthouse was £34,559.[2]
In 1881, Sir James Nicholas Douglass inspected the tower, and designed renovation to reinforce the structure. The work was begun in 1882 and completed in 1887, under the supervision of Douglass's eldest surviving son, William Tregarthen Douglass.
Bishop Lighthouse is often referred to as "King of the lighthouses" and it is indeed a very impressive structure. It is the second tallest in Britain, second only to the Eddystone Lighthouse and altogether the money spent on reaching this lighthouse we have today has been:
The first iron lighthouse : ...........................£12,500 [what year? inflation adjusted?]
The second granite lighthouse : ...................£34,559 (£2,642,104 as of 2012)
The third improved lighthouse : ....................£64,889 (£5,347,675 as of 2012)
Total cost : ..............................................£111,948
Difficulty reaching the lighthouse by boat led Trinity House to build a helipad atop the lighthouse in 1976.[The tower has been fully automated since 15 December 1992