A st to the Lddvstone Liohthouse

Dy o1 (L.

[ all highthouses that surround our coast the most famihar s the noble structure which proudly rears its head above the dangerous Liddystone rock., The story of that mteresting building and its predecessors on this exten- sive reef 1s enhanced by a touch of romance which makes 1t worth the telling, and s

deserving of record if only as an illustration of

man's perseverance, and ol his determimation to overcome almost msuperable difficulties, Lveryone knows that the present highthouse was preceded by those to which T shall hriefly allude, but 1t is not common knowledge that the carliest imtimation (to be found in con- temporary records) of

2 hehthouse on the

Lddystone dates back ) =

=z,

. . - % as far as 1664, when s (says a writer in the

Morning Postythe pro-

posal was made by Sir

John Coryton and Henry Brunker, but nothing further has transpired regarding the scheme.

The first lighthouse was built by Henry Winstanley, an lissex gentleman, whose ec- centricitics were conm- bmed with great me- chanical ingenuity, who hegan his difficult task in 1696, and com- pleted it four years later. Tt wasa wooden structure of the most fantastic kind, cn- trance to the various rooms beinge obtained by means of external ladders. Beneath the lantern - (which was surmounted by a huge vane, supported by ornamental scroll work) was a dome or cupola resting on an open arcade with a aallery; and under the latter were the living

TR T AW A BT

NITTON.

and store rooms. This quamt design is pre- served mothe form of a large silver model of contemporary workmanship, which formed part of the well-known Morgan collection of family plate @ it was intended to serve as a table ornament, or for usc as a salt-cellar and spice-box, and is curious as bemg probably the only accurate model in silver of a structure of any kind.

Soon after Winstanley completed this light- housc he discovered that it was not substantial cnough to withstand violent storms and the fury of the waves, and he therefore altered it considerably, the sceond design being mueh more ornate in character 3 the tower was partly civeular and partly polygonal, was mainly constructed of wood (with I.atin and English inserip- tions on some of the panels), and had open gallertes and numerous whimsi- cal projections, while an old engray- mg indicates that candles were placed outside the lanten. It being intimated to the architect

Onee

THLE EDDVSTORE LIGIITHOULE —5TOLA.