Description

LUNDY

SS14SW Old Lighthouse and Lightkeeper's
1938-0/2/9 House

II*

Disused lighthouse and keeper's house. 1819 by Daniel Asher
Alexander engineer, and Joseph Nelson builder for Trinity
House on 1787 foundations, new lantern at base of tower added
in 1829.

Granite ashlar cavity-wall construction, first stage of tower
has granite galleting. Keeper's house has rag slate roof
with lead rolls to ridge and hips and granite axial stack
with cornice. Circular lighthouse at south west end and
keeper's house attached on north east side by covered
passage-porch.

Tapering Exterior: Tall round tower, its deep plinth with
weathered courses, string near top projects as canopy on west
side over partly blocked window (originally for fixed
lantern). Large moulded cornice at top with balustrade of
railings with moulded cast iron standards and large cast iron
glazed lantern with conical roof with ball finial and
weathervane. Projecting at base of tower on south west side a
lantern room added in 1829, also granite ashlar with curved
multi-pane window, but now roofless.

Keeper's house attached on north east by covered passage
serving as porch, solid granite roof, panelled double doors
with flanking lights. 2 storey house with pedimented gable
facing tower supported on square detailed corner piers and
with large round-headed recess and 2-light window. Granite
stringcourse at first floor cill level slaps the corner
piers. Granite band below eaves supports large exposed rafter
ends. NW and SE side elevation of 3 bays have projecting bay
to right and left respectively and 2 and 3-light granite
mullion windows. North east end is blind. All windows
sashes with glazing bars.

Interior: Stone spiral staircase with 147 steps. Central
room of Keeper's house was seen, a large granite segmental
arch fireplace with granite mantel shelf and similar but
smaller fireplace at back of stack in the 2 small north east
end rooms.

Historical note: In 1786 a group of Bristol merchants offered
to build and maintain a lighthouse at their own expense.
Foundations were laid in 1787 but the lighthouse was not
built until Trinity House obtained a 999 year lease in 1819.
It cost 36,000 pounds and the tower is 97 feet high. There
was a fast-revolving light in the main lantern and a fixed
light in a window under a canopy 9 metres below. Both lights
were often obscured by fog so a new lantern room was
installed at the base. Because the site is 407ft above sea
level (highest in Britain) the fog problem was not solved and
The Fog Signal Battery (qv) was built in circa 1861 but
eventually the lighthouse was abandoned in 1897 when the
North and South Lundy Lighthouses (qv) were built.
(Lighthouses, Their Architecture, History and Archaeology:D B
Hague and R. Christie; Lundy:A and M Langham; Trinity House).

Listing NGR: SS1320444290

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Lundy Old Light at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17536768

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook 2 Books Bundle Collection (Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair,Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability)
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)