Monument record ORF 112 - Orford Ness Lighthouse

Lighthouse, erected in 1792 . Once accompanied by a low light, abandoned due to encroachment from the sea at the end of 19th century. Lighthouse now also under threat (2004)(S1)(S2). Listed Building (see DSF16340). A number of associated outbuildings were also constructed at the site during the 19th C, however these were demolished in the 1960's.

In 2013 a Heritage Statement and Significance report was produced for the lighthouse (S3) along with a level 4 survey (S4). The lighthouse is at significant risk of coastal erosion and the decision was taken by Trinity House to decommission it. Significant items were removed from the structure and it has been left to stand redundant until it falls into the sea It is now in private ownership. In October 1627 a petition was put forward to establish lights after a large number of wrekcs on the concelad sands surrounding the coastline. In c.1637 established two timber sheds containing candle lights as a coastal lighting experiment by Sir John Meldrum who then applied to Charles I for a patent to establish permanent a permant lighthouse which was granted. The structure was damaged by storms in 1789 and a new light was built on the same alignment as the previous one and came into operation in 1793. The last keepr left the lighthouse in 1965. Many outbuildings and much of the adjacent dwelling structure were added in 1866 and were demolished from late 1959.

EXTERIOR: Orfordness Lighthouse is a round tapering tower surmounted by a lantern with trellis glazing bars. The lantern is surrounded by a platform with iron railings. The tower has a basement and five main stages, and there are irregularly spaced openings at each stage. There are five raised string courses in the upper two thirds of the tower. The entrance is through a square porch; above the door is the date 1792 in Roman numerals.

INTERIOR: The ground floor is divided into two spaces. The smaller of the two, reached through a door directly opposite the main entrance, now contains the batteries that run the light, while the main room contains electronic equipment. Two staircases rise from either side of the main entrance curving against the wall. The steps are concrete and both staircases have cast iron balustrades with stick balusters set into the tread ends, and with a handrail terminating in a spiral and a newel post with foliate decoration at its base. On either side of the room, set under each staircase is a recess which once contained a door connecting to the keepers' cottages, demolished in 1959: one of these now contains a small sink. To the side of each recess is a door under the stairs and steps down to the basement. This is divided into four separate spaces around a central supporting column, linked by openings: each space has a chute or opening set into the walls.

The shaft of the lighthouse is open to the final stage, with a single staircase continuing to spiral round the outer walls connecting platforms at each of the main stages. A central cast iron column rises the height of the tower; this contained the original clockwork mechanism which caused the rotation of the light. Either side of the platform at the first stage are doors which originally gave direct access from the keepers' cottages. Halfway up the tower is a sculptural arrangement of two large lenses on cast iron stands which reflect the beam of a fixed light through red and green shades: these are the sector lights.

The final stage of the tower contains a fitted cupboard and sound tubes and whistles which enabled the keepers to call from tower to cottages: these are marked respectively AK and PK. The light itself consists of three lenses mounted on a circular platform which floats on a trough of mercury: the lenses revolve around the lamp at a speed to produce a flash every five seconds.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: To the north-east is a small single storey brick building oriented north-west to south-east, originally the oil store. It has stone quoins, raised parapets to the gables and pitched slate roof, and is painted white. Its entrance in the centre of the south-east gable end has a label mould over: above is a small circular vent, also with label mould over. The north-west gable end contains a circular window. Inside the walls curve inwards to a pointed arch: a low bench runs around two sides.

There is a second small single storey brick building to the east of the lighthouse, possibly a survivor of the range of service buildings. It also has raised parapets to the gables. There are two windows to its south elevation and a porch to the north.

HISTORY: The first lighthouses were built on Orfordness in the mid C17 when a patent was granted to Alderman Gore for the construction of two timber lighthouses: by aligning the two lights vessels were guided through the treacherous sand and shingle banks. These early timber towers were unstable and vulnerable to the sea, and often had to be replaced. Following a storm in 1789 the new owner, Lord Braybrooke of Audley End, repositioned the low light further back: this is the tower that survives today. It was designed by William Wilkins and constructed in 1792. Lit by fourteen oil lamps set in silver plated reflectors, this was one of the first lighthouses to use oil rather than coal. This became the high light, while the second tower became the low light.

In 1836 an Act of Parliament gave Trinity House the right of compulsory purchase and it took over the running of Orfordness Lighthouse. Two trained keepers manned the light and were able to live with their families in the cottages at either side of the base of the tower, from where they had direct access to the interior of the lighthouse. A plan of 1938 shows the cottages and their yards wrapped around the north-east of the tower, with a range of domestic service buildings striking off to the east; these contained a wash house, coach house, stable and pig-sties. One isolated element of this range seems to survive, possibly the coach house and stable. A separate oil store also survives. The cottages, gardens, ancillary buildings, yard and services were all enclosed by a wall.

In 1887 the low light was lost to the sea and major alterations were made to the high light to compensate for the loss. These included fitting green and red shades to form sector lights (removing the need for a second aligning light) and making the light occulting (as the beam rotates it is briefly blacked out on each turn). In 1914 a new revolving lens was installed which is still in operation. At the same time the sector lights were moved half way down the tower.

The next phase in the history of the light began with its conversion to electricity in 1959, which allowed for the introduction of automation and the eventual loss of the keepers and of the cottages. Demolition of the cottages also began in 1959. In 1960 a standby generator was installed, as well as remote control equipment. In July 1964 the lighthouse became fully automatic, under remote control from the Trinity House depot in Harwich, and in 1965 the lighthouse keepers were withdrawn. The light is now run by batteries charged from the mains (S5).

Survey 1 took place in July 2016 and recorded features along the shingle shelf of Orford Beach, including the Coastguard watch house beside the lighthouse, a concrete structure of unknown function and a ground marker used in ballistics trails. Survey 2 took place in September 2016 and focused on recording the visible remains of the First World War Prisoner of War (POW) camp. Survey 3 took place in June 2017 and created Historic England Level 1/Level 2 record of the First World War Barrack/Stores and the First World War/1950s canteen. Survey 4 in March and June 2018 used the CITiZAN app to start creating a Historic England Level 1 record for all buildings and building remains on Orford Ness. A total of 123 new features were added to CITiZAN's publicly accessible, interactive web based map and 44 National Trust HBSMR records were updated with images and/or text. Survey 5, a CITiZAN/MOLA survey, took place in December 2019 and January 2020. This created photographic and drawn records of the Coastguard watch house and a photographic the nearby concrete structure. The concrete structure collapsed due to coastal erosion not long after (S6).