Hale Lighthouse

 

The present Hale Lighthouse dates from 1906. It replaced a shorter tower built seventy years earlier. The 45 ft tower put the lamp chamber 70ft above mean sea level, which is not much as lighthouses go. Yet the lamp's beam could be seen from as far away as forty miles.

 

Unfortunately, it's now many years since the lighthouse was operational. Its 250 candlepower oil lamp last shone out in 1958, when it was tentatively decommissioned on a trial basis. The trial became permanent and the lighting equipment was removed.

 

The lighthouse worked throughout World War Two and some bombs were dropped nearby. There is a legend that the keeper's wife was machine-gunned from the air as she opened the lighthouse shutters.

 

The lighthouse is now part of a private residence.

 

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