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Coordinates: 52°26′13″N 1°43′45″E / 52.4370°N 1.7293°E / 52.4370; 1.7293
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{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2017}}
{{Infobox lighthouse
{{Infobox lighthouse
| name = Pakefield Lighthouse
| name = Pakefield Lighthouse
| image_name = File:Old lighthouse at Crazy Mary's Hole geograph - 4221270.jpg
| image = File:Old lighthouse at Crazy Mary's Hole geograph - 4221270.jpg
| image_width =
| image_width =
| caption = Pakefield in 2014
| caption = Pakefield in 2014
| location = [[Pakefield]], [[Suffolk]]
| location = [[Pakefield]]<br> [[Suffolk]]<br>[[England]]<br>[[United Kingdom]]
| coordinates = {{coord|52.4370|1.7293|display=inline,title}}
| pushpin_map = Suffolk
| relief = 1
| yearbuilt = 1832
| pushpin_mapsize =
| yearlit =
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map_caption =
| pushpin = lighthouse
| pushpin_label_position = left
| latd =52.4370 | latm = | lats = | latNS =
| longd = 1.7293 | longm = | longs = | longEW =
| coordinates_display = inline,title
| coordinates_footnotes =
| yearbuilt =
| yearlit = 1832
| automated =
| automated =
| yeardeactivated =
| yeardeactivated = 1864
| foundation =
| foundation =
| construction =
| construction = brick tower
| shape =
| shape = massive cylindrical tower with balcony, lantern and conical roof
| marking =
| marking = white tower, black lantern and roof
| height = {{convert|9|m}}
| height = {{convert|9|m}}
| focalheight = {{convert|66|ft|m|order=flip}}
| focalheight = {{convert|66|ft|m|order=flip}}
| lens =
| lens =
| currentlens =
| currentlens =
| lightsource =
| lightsource =
| intensity =
| intensity =
| range = {{convert|9|nmi}}
| range = {{convert|9|nmi}}
Line 36: Line 28:
| admiralty =
| admiralty =
| canada =
| canada =
| NGA =
| country =
| ARLHS = ENG-098
| countrynumber =
| USCG =
| countrylink =
| managingagent = Pakefield Coastwatch<ref>{{Cite rowlett|enge|accessdate=2016-06-05}}</ref>
| country =
| countrynumber =
| heritage =
| countrylink =
| managingagent =
| heritage =
}}
}}

[[File:Old lighthouse on Pakefield cliffs geograph - 2163219.jpg|thumb|The lighthouse in 2010]]
'''Pakefield Lighthouse''' is a decommissioned 19th century [[lighthouse]] which was built near [[Pakefield]] a suburb of [[Lowestoft]] in [[Suffolk]].
'''Pakefield Lighthouse''' is a decommissioned 19th century [[lighthouse]] which was built near [[Pakefield]] a suburb of [[Lowestoft]] in [[Suffolk]].
The lighthouse tower has been used for a variety of maritime, civilian and military roles, and is currently used as a [[National Coastwatch Institution|Coastwatch]] lookout post.<ref name=rowlett/>
The lighthouse tower has been used for a variety of maritime, civilian and military roles, and is currently used as a [[National Coastwatch Institution|Coastwatch]] lookout post.<ref name=rowlett/>


==Operational history==
==History==


===Pakefield lighthouse 1832-1864===
Completed in 1832 to a design by the architect Richard Suter, it was commissioned by [[Trinity House]] to enable a safe passage to be made through the channel between two shifting sandbanks into Lowestoft on this part of the [[North Sea]] coastline.<ref name=wwl/>
Completed in 1832 to a design by the architect Richard Suter, it was commissioned by [[Trinity House]] to enable a safe passage to be made through Pakefield Gatway (a channel between two shifting sandbanks providing a way into Lowestoft harbour).<ref name=wwl/><ref>[[Commons:England east coast Sheet III from Southwold to Cromer surveyed by Captn. Washington R.N., Lieut. F. Cudlip and E. Calver, Master. 1843 sold by R.B. Bate - RMG L1191.tiff|Admiralty Chart, 1843]]</ref>


The {{convert|9|m}} high white tower and keeper’s accommodation were built within the estate of Pakefield Hall, on low cliffs overlooking the sea at a cost of £821.
The {{convert|9|m}} high white tower and keeper's accommodation were built within the estate of Pakefield Hall, on low cliffs overlooking the sea at a cost of £821 ({{Inflation|UK|821|1832|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}).{{Inflation-fn|UK}}
The light was powered by two [[argand lamp]]s, originally consisted of a constant white light that could be seen for nine [[nautical miles]]. The colour was changed to red as some ships had confused the light with those shining from the windows of clifftop houses in nearby [[Kessingland]].<ref name=Norie1846/>
The light was powered by two [[argand lamp]]s; it originally consisted of a constant white light that could be seen for nine [[nautical miles]]. In 1835 the colour was changed to red, as some ships had confused the light with those shining from the windows of clifftop houses in nearby [[Kessingland]].<ref>[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/19263/page/810 London Gazette, Issue 19263, Page 810, 24 April 1835.]</ref><ref name="Norie1846"/>


===Kessingland light 1864-1886===
By the time that land negotiations regarding the lighthouse and access road had been completed in 1850, the need for the light had already passed, as the channel had moved to the south requiring a new light near Kessingland. The lighthouse continued in use, until it was finally decommissioned in 1864.<ref name=mycetes/>
By the time that land negotiations regarding the lighthouse and access road had been completed in 1850, the channel had moved to the south.<ref name="mycetes" /> The lighthouse continued in use (with charts showing an increased angle of approach through the Gatway)<ref>[[Commons:Yarmouth and Lowestoft Roads London published by James Imray and Son 89 Minories 1859 RMG L1183.tiff|Imray chart, 1859]]</ref> until 1864 when Pakefield lighthouse was decommissioned and a new red [[sector light]] was established at Kessingland, to the south.<ref name=mycetes/><ref>[[Commons:England East coast Yarmouth and Lowestoft roads by Staff Commander EK Calver RN 1865 RMG L1217.tiff|Admiralty Chart, 1865]]</ref>


===Pakefield light 1886-1906===
⚫
The lighthouse remained abandoned for a number of decades until it was subsequently sold to the owners of the Hall in the 1920’s, the grounds of which being used as a campsite, and would eventually become a [[Pontins]] holiday camp.<ref name=mycetes/>
In 1886, the sandbanks again having shifted, the sector light was moved back to Pakefield, but this time to a location north of the old lighthouse (which remained disused).<ref>[[Commons:England - east coast, Yarmouth and Lowestoft Roads surveyed by Staff Comr. T.H. Tizard, R.N. and the officers of H.M.S. "Triton" 1885 RMG L1221.tiff|Admiralty chart, 1885]]</ref> The fixed red light was now displayed from a hut on the cliff, 'about {{convert|660|yards}} in a southerly direction from All Saints' Church'.<ref>[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/25646/page/5603 London Gazette, Issue 25646, Page 5603, 19 November 1886.]</ref> The following year the angle of the light was altered, the sands again having shifted.<ref>[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/25772/page/29 London Gazette, Issue 25772, Page 29, 3 January 1888.]</ref> In 1905 it was reported that 'considerable alterations have taken place in the depths in Pakefield Gat', shoaling having significantly reduced the depth of water in the former channel.<ref>[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/27808/page/4325 London Gazette, Issue 27808, Page 4325, 20 June 1905.]</ref> On 1 January 1907 the sector light at Pakefield was discontinued.<ref>[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/27949/page/6247 London Gazette, Issue 27949, Page 6247, 14 September 1906.]</ref>


==Later history==
⚫
In 1938, prior to the Second World War, the tower became an observation post for the Royal Observer Corps, who were checking for any possible seaborne or air invasion force, with both the roof and lantern being removed to improve visibility. <ref name=mycetes/>
⚫
Following its closure in 1864, Pakefield lighthouse remained abandoned for a number of decades until it was subsequently sold to the owners of the Hall in the 1920s, the grounds of which were being used as a campsite; it would eventually become a [[Pontins]] holiday camp.<ref name=mycetes/>

⚫
In 1938, prior to the Second World War, the tower became an observation post for the Royal Observer Corps, who were checking for any possible seaborne or air invasion force, with both the roof and lantern being removed to improve visibility.<ref name=mycetes/>


The tower continued to be used throughout the war, with [[Auxiliary Territorial Service]] personnel being stationed at the site. The surrounding holiday campsite was requisitioned and became a transit camp.
The tower continued to be used throughout the war, with [[Auxiliary Territorial Service]] personnel being stationed at the site. The surrounding holiday campsite was requisitioned and became a transit camp.
It was strafed by the Luftwaffe during an air-raid on Lowestoft in 1943, and in the following year a [[V-1 flying bomb|V-1 doodlebug]] with a defective [[gyrocompass]] was spotted travelling towards the lighthouse, until it crashed into the sea at the base of the cliffs nearby.
It was strafed by the Luftwaffe during an air-raid on Lowestoft in 1943, and in the following year a [[V-1 flying bomb|V-1 doodlebug]] with a defective [[gyrocompass]] was spotted travelling towards the lighthouse, until it crashed into the sea at the base of the cliffs nearby.


After the war, the tower was eventually purchased by Pontins, and in the 1960s it was used by the camp’s official photographers as a dark room. The lighthouse tower was renovated in 2000, by voluntary workers from the local Pakefield Coastwatch group, and it is now used by the group as a coastal reconnaissance station.<ref name=rowlett/><ref name=coastwatch/>
After the war, the tower was eventually purchased by Pontins, and in the 1960s it was used by the camp's official photographers as a dark room.

In the early 70’s the adjoining keepers accommodation was used as accommodation for the McRoberts family. Bert McRoberts being the bassist with The Harry Bence Orchestra who were the resident band at Pontins for a number of seasons.

==Current use==
The lighthouse tower was renovated in 2000, by voluntary workers from the local Pakefield Coastwatch group, and it is now used by the group as a coastal reconnaissance station.<ref name=rowlett/><ref name=coastwatch/>


==See also==
==See also==
{{stack|{{Portal|England|Engineering}}}}
*[[List of lighthouses in England]]
* [[List of lighthouses in England]]


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=rowlett>{{cite rowlett|enge| accessdate= 2 August 2015}}</ref>
<ref name=rowlett>{{cite rowlett|enge| accessdate= 2 August 2015}}</ref>
<ref name=coastwatch>{{cite web| url=http://www.pakefieldcoastwatch.co.uk/ | title=Pakefield Coastwatch| publisher= pakefieldcoastwatch.co.uk | accessdate=2 August 2015}}</ref>
<ref name=coastwatch>{{cite web| url=http://www.pakefieldcoastwatch.co.uk/ | title=Pakefield Coastwatch| publisher= pakefieldcoastwatch.co.uk | access-date=2 August 2015}}</ref>
<ref name=mycetes>{{cite web| url=http://www.mycetes.co.uk/a/page144.html | title=Pakefield Lighthouse| publisher= mycetes.co.uk | accessdate=2 August 2015}}</ref>
<ref name=mycetes>{{cite web| url=http://www.mycetes.co.uk/a/page144.html | title=Pakefield Lighthouse| publisher= mycetes.co.uk | access-date=2 August 2015}}</ref>
<ref name=wwl>{{cite web| url=http://www.worldwidelighthouses.com/Lighthouses/English-Lighthouses/Privately-Owned/Pakefield | title=Pakefield Lighthouse| publisher= worldwidelighthouses.com | accessdate=2 August 2015}}</ref>
<ref name=wwl>{{cite web| url=http://www.worldwidelighthouses.com/Lighthouses/English-Lighthouses/Privately-Owned/Pakefield | title=Pakefield Lighthouse| publisher= worldwidelighthouses.com | access-date=2 August 2015}}</ref>
<ref name=Norie1846>{{cite book|author=John William Norie|title=New and extensive sailing directions for the navigation of the North sea, arranged and written to accompany the new charts, drawn by J.W. Norie|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=jikEAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA19|year=1846|pages=19–}}</ref>
<ref name=Norie1846>{{cite book|author=John William Norie|title=New and extensive sailing directions for the navigation of the North sea, arranged and written to accompany the new charts, drawn by J.W. Norie|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jikEAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA19|year=1846|pages=19–}}</ref>
}}
}}


==External links==
==External links==
[http://www.pakefieldcoastwatch.co.uk Pakefield Coastwatch website]
* [http://www.pakefieldcoastwatch.co.uk Pakefield Coastwatch website]

{{Lighthouses in England}}

{{authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Pakefield Lighthouse}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pakefield Lighthouse}}
[[Category:Lighthouses in England]]
[[Category:Lighthouses in Suffolk]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Suffolk]]
[[Category:Lowestoft]]
[[Category:Lighthouses completed in 1832]]
[[Category:Lighthouses completed in 1832]]

Latest revision as of 17:37, 26 November 2023

Pakefield Lighthouse
Pakefield in 2014
Map
LocationPakefield
Suffolk
England
United Kingdom
Coordinates52°26′13″N 1°43′45″E / 52.4370°N 1.7293°E / 52.4370; 1.7293
Tower
Constructed1832
Constructionbrick tower
Automated1975 Edit this on Wikidata
Height9 metres (30 ft)
Shapemassive cylindrical tower with balcony, lantern and conical roof
Markingswhite tower, black lantern and roof
OperatorPakefield Coastwatch[1]
Light
Deactivated1864
Focal height20 metres (66 ft)
Range9 nautical miles (17 km; 10 mi)
The lighthouse in 2010

Pakefield Lighthouse is a decommissioned 19th century lighthouse which was built near Pakefield a suburb of Lowestoft in Suffolk. The lighthouse tower has been used for a variety of maritime, civilian and military roles, and is currently used as a Coastwatch lookout post.[2]

Operational history[edit]

Pakefield lighthouse 1832-1864[edit]

Completed in 1832 to a design by the architect Richard Suter, it was commissioned by Trinity House to enable a safe passage to be made through Pakefield Gatway (a channel between two shifting sandbanks providing a way into Lowestoft harbour).[3][4]

The 9 metres (30 ft) high white tower and keeper's accommodation were built within the estate of Pakefield Hall, on low cliffs overlooking the sea at a cost of £821 (equivalent to £96,349 in 2023).[5]

The light was powered by two argand lamps; it originally consisted of a constant white light that could be seen for nine nautical miles. In 1835 the colour was changed to red, as some ships had confused the light with those shining from the windows of clifftop houses in nearby Kessingland.[6][7]

Kessingland light 1864-1886[edit]

By the time that land negotiations regarding the lighthouse and access road had been completed in 1850, the channel had moved to the south.[8] The lighthouse continued in use (with charts showing an increased angle of approach through the Gatway)[9] until 1864 when Pakefield lighthouse was decommissioned and a new red sector light was established at Kessingland, to the south.[8][10]

Pakefield light 1886-1906[edit]

In 1886, the sandbanks again having shifted, the sector light was moved back to Pakefield, but this time to a location north of the old lighthouse (which remained disused).[11] The fixed red light was now displayed from a hut on the cliff, 'about 660 yards (600 m) in a southerly direction from All Saints' Church'.[12] The following year the angle of the light was altered, the sands again having shifted.[13] In 1905 it was reported that 'considerable alterations have taken place in the depths in Pakefield Gat', shoaling having significantly reduced the depth of water in the former channel.[14] On 1 January 1907 the sector light at Pakefield was discontinued.[15]

Later history[edit]

Following its closure in 1864, Pakefield lighthouse remained abandoned for a number of decades until it was subsequently sold to the owners of the Hall in the 1920s, the grounds of which were being used as a campsite; it would eventually become a Pontins holiday camp.[8]

In 1938, prior to the Second World War, the tower became an observation post for the Royal Observer Corps, who were checking for any possible seaborne or air invasion force, with both the roof and lantern being removed to improve visibility.[8]

The tower continued to be used throughout the war, with Auxiliary Territorial Service personnel being stationed at the site. The surrounding holiday campsite was requisitioned and became a transit camp. It was strafed by the Luftwaffe during an air-raid on Lowestoft in 1943, and in the following year a V-1 doodlebug with a defective gyrocompass was spotted travelling towards the lighthouse, until it crashed into the sea at the base of the cliffs nearby.

After the war, the tower was eventually purchased by Pontins, and in the 1960s it was used by the camp's official photographers as a dark room.

In the early 70’s the adjoining keepers accommodation was used as accommodation for the McRoberts family. Bert McRoberts being the bassist with The Harry Bence Orchestra who were the resident band at Pontins for a number of seasons.

Current use[edit]

The lighthouse tower was renovated in 2000, by voluntary workers from the local Pakefield Coastwatch group, and it is now used by the group as a coastal reconnaissance station.[2][16]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Eastern England". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  2. ^ a b Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Eastern England". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  3. ^ "Pakefield Lighthouse". worldwidelighthouses.com. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  4. ^ Admiralty Chart, 1843
  5. ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  6. ^ London Gazette, Issue 19263, Page 810, 24 April 1835.
  7. ^ John William Norie (1846). New and extensive sailing directions for the navigation of the North sea, arranged and written to accompany the new charts, drawn by J.W. Norie. pp. 19–.
  8. ^ a b c d "Pakefield Lighthouse". mycetes.co.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  9. ^ Imray chart, 1859
  10. ^ Admiralty Chart, 1865
  11. ^ Admiralty chart, 1885
  12. ^ London Gazette, Issue 25646, Page 5603, 19 November 1886.
  13. ^ London Gazette, Issue 25772, Page 29, 3 January 1888.
  14. ^ London Gazette, Issue 27808, Page 4325, 20 June 1905.
  15. ^ London Gazette, Issue 27949, Page 6247, 14 September 1906.
  16. ^ "Pakefield Coastwatch". pakefieldcoastwatch.co.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2015.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pakefield_Lighthouse&oldid=1186974889"