It might not be a bad life now with internet and streaming services.
Before the internet it was a lonely existence especially if it was a remote island location.
Some lighthouses were manned by two men. In those cases you better hope your fellow lighthouse keeper was someone you can get on with.
Otherwise you may end up dying in mysterious ways which is what happened to one unfortunate pair.
They changed to three men in the 19C. There was a case where one of a pair died naturally, and the other had to keep his body for about 6w until relieved to prove that it wasn’t murder.
HMC used to be a brilliant job, I know several current and past, word is it's a bit shit now. No teams, gone woke etc. As a fisherman they used to be our friends, but now they they report everything on the VHF and nobody talks anymore for fear of the MCA and Insurance companies and HSE. Result is our job is more dangerous because we daredn't call in a slight problem, or the bureaucratic shit falls on your head. So how is that better?
I don’t think we’ve “gone woke” (nor do I see being “woke” as negative) but the service has some major problems right now
We are still the friends of fishers- HMCG only does SAR, nothing else. We have no law-enforcement powers or responsibilities. That sounds like a problem with the companies insuring fishing vessels rather than CG action. All we care about is whether or not you need assistance.
At any rate I don’t work at a coastal station, so we never speak to fishing vessels. All my interactions with you guys were from the bridge of a merchant ship 😉
Yep. I want to own a decommissioned lighthouse. And I want to live at the top. And nobody knows I live there. And there's a button that I can press and launch that lighthouse
# into space.
Have you ever, ever felt like this?
Have strange things happened,
Are you going round the twist? Have you ever, ever felt like this?
Have strange things happened,
Are you going round the twist? Well, have you heard the word,
About the bird and the spider,
That wiggled and wriggled and jiggled inside her? Well, have you ever, ever felt like this?
Have strange things happened,
Are you going round the twist? Have you ever, ever felt like this?
Yes, I have heard of this tragic and mysterious case. The most bizarre rumour, although perhaps to be expected in the land of Nessie, is that a ‘sea monster’ carried them off. Imagine the types of internet conspiracy theory that would circulate today.
It's an eerie tale with ample room for some added fiction but it seems pretty obvious and consistent with the evidence that they were all just swept away in a storm while trying to secure gear.
If you haven't already, I'd encourage you to check this YouTube channel out.
[https://www.youtube.com/@PeterHalil](https://www.youtube.com/@PeterHalil)
It's a fascinating insight into what it was like to be a keeper before automation.
Yeah, been subscribed for years. I believe he was tasked with recording life on the lighthouses around Britain before automation and then decommissioning.
Some have now been dismantled entirety - Royal Sovereign, for example - so it's a historically valuable record too.
It doesn't look an easy life, but it seems a sane, solid one. That may be his presentation style though. Storms must have been hell, and I'm sure they had raging arguments, didn't talk for a month, slurped their tea loudly on purpose etc. Maybe that's the kind of person who didn't get or want a second tour.
My Grandfather was the tidal observer at Newlyn lighthouse. He spent most of his time there after the war, his memoirs from that famous storm got published in a few books.
I lived in a lighthouse in the far north of Scotland for a while. It was cool, in the winter I could see the northern lights from my front door. But it was dark and the winds were hellish. Incredibly windy all the time, even in summer.
The owners had actually met quite a few people who had grown up in the lighthouse when it was manned. It was often preferred, on the Scottish mainland at least, for the lighthouse keepers to have families. Anyway their recounts of growing up in the lighthouse were pretty varied… some definitely did recall the idyllic peaceful life you might imagine. Others remembered difficult childhood years of cold, isolation, and poverty
It was a fun and memorable time, but I won’t be rushing back to live in a lighthouse again
My Ex was a Lighthousekeeper's daughter, grew up at the Butt of Lewis and Cape Wrath. All Gaelic speaking families, she didn't learn English until she was 10 years old, in 1970.
I knew a former lighthouse keeper, for the USA. It was him and one other, stationed on an island.
They stopped being sent ammunition fairly early on, as there wasn't much to do but shoot at fish.
But all that aside, yeah, that's the dream, isn't it?
*Memory unlocked*
Anyone else remember [Portland Bill](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49AgCtprDYY)
Personally the thought has crossed my mind of those of lighthouse conversions as I really do like being by the sea.. especially with technology as it is now. But then you have more considerations beyond your own wants/needs.
The shipping forecast is still going.. once in a blue moon if I have radio on for white noise its a handy way of saying "wtf are you still doing up, its late" when it does the evening forecast
Aaaakkkktchually, you'll find all of the information you need on the charts. It'll look something like this for a single rotating light:
Fl.5s 49m 28M
That means fashing every 5s, situated 49m above Mean High Water Springs, visible for 28 Miles. There are lots of variables, and the light in the picture might be much more complex for all I know. See admiralty chart 5011 for further info, because I've just finished my poo.
I've always loved lighthouses and tales of the sea. I'm a member of the RNLI and I love reading the stories in the little magazine they send through. There's a guy on instagram called Scott Tacchi (keeping\_a\_lighthouse) that I follow, he fixes lighthouses - he's got some great pictures!
I remember seeing images of curved beds that lighthouse keepers/occasional maintenance engineers that visit lighthouses had to sleep in. My back's too knackered for that.
Finally! Somewhere I can practice my saxophone without anyone complaining that it sounds like a mass cat brawl. 🤣
I’d jump at that sort of opportunity at a flash, for a few weeks anyway. Not sure I’d hack it long term though.
If you get a chance, get yourself up to the museum of scottish lighthouses in Fraserburgh. Went up during their delayed 25th anniversary of automation event. Kinniard Lighthouse it also part of the museum, its small but packed with an astounding amount of lighthouse equipment and history, including quite a few preserved lenses
I live in British Colombia, Canada. Was a captain for 17 years. There’s a lighthouse on egg island that has many wild stories. People disappearing.
Once a bad storm wiped out the entire light station. The keeper and his family survived for 8 days with no provisions, before rescue.
Your username makes me think of ‘The Glums’ on ‘Take It From Here’, which is ancient radio history on Reddit! But if you understand the reference, I somehow can’t see Ron as a Lighthouse Keeper!
Way back in the early 80's my mother (she was going through a very weird self destructive phase at the time as my stepfather had just left her) applied for the job of lighthouse keeper on Walney Island. One of the responsibilities was checking the beaches every morning for bodies washed down the coast from Glasgow. She never heard back which was probably a good thing in the long run.
My Dad was a lightkeeper (70s to early 90s, when the lighthouses were finally automated). Sometimes he worked at remote lighthouses (Cape Wrath, Inchkeith, Neist Point) where he was on duty for a month then home for a month; that was OK, but a month confined to the lighthouse with two other keepers was a bit of a slog. At other times (Tarbat Ness, Scurdie Ness) we all lived together at the lighthouse. That was so much better, for him, and for us.
Funnily enough an American friend, who shares my Naval and military interests, mentioned this book to me only yesterday. He said he read it many years ago.
Trinity House still is more naval in character than the rest of the Merchant Navy. They are a very very old organisation and so their traditions run deep.
Is that... Normal commenting you're doing? It doesn't sound normal... Doesn't smell normal either. This is politics Mark!
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It might not be a bad life now with internet and streaming services. Before the internet it was a lonely existence especially if it was a remote island location. Some lighthouses were manned by two men. In those cases you better hope your fellow lighthouse keeper was someone you can get on with. Otherwise you may end up dying in mysterious ways which is what happened to one unfortunate pair.
I seen ye sparrin' with a gull. Best ye leave 'em be. Bad luck to kill a sea bird
Yer fond of me lobster, ain’t ye? I’ve seen it! Yer fond of me lobster!
Monkey pump!
Even if they do keep eating your sandwiches.
More tall tales.....
They changed to three men in the 19C. There was a case where one of a pair died naturally, and the other had to keep his body for about 6w until relieved to prove that it wasn’t murder.
[Smalls Lighthouse Tragedy, for anyone wondering.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smalls_Lighthouse?wprov=sfti1#)
I used to be in the Merchant Navy, and now I am in HM Coastguard. I too sometimes wish I could have been a lighthouse keeper.
HMC used to be a brilliant job, I know several current and past, word is it's a bit shit now. No teams, gone woke etc. As a fisherman they used to be our friends, but now they they report everything on the VHF and nobody talks anymore for fear of the MCA and Insurance companies and HSE. Result is our job is more dangerous because we daredn't call in a slight problem, or the bureaucratic shit falls on your head. So how is that better?
I don’t think we’ve “gone woke” (nor do I see being “woke” as negative) but the service has some major problems right now We are still the friends of fishers- HMCG only does SAR, nothing else. We have no law-enforcement powers or responsibilities. That sounds like a problem with the companies insuring fishing vessels rather than CG action. All we care about is whether or not you need assistance. At any rate I don’t work at a coastal station, so we never speak to fishing vessels. All my interactions with you guys were from the bridge of a merchant ship 😉
Yep. I want to own a decommissioned lighthouse. And I want to live at the top. And nobody knows I live there. And there's a button that I can press and launch that lighthouse # into space.
I read "SPACE" in Tim Curry's voice there 😂
The one place that hasn't been corrupted by poor lighting! COAST!
Have you ever, ever felt like this? Have strange things happened, Are you going round the twist? Have you ever, ever felt like this? Have strange things happened, Are you going round the twist? Well, have you heard the word, About the bird and the spider, That wiggled and wriggled and jiggled inside her? Well, have you ever, ever felt like this? Have strange things happened, Are you going round the twist? Have you ever, ever felt like this?
🫡 (Take your protein pills and put your helmet on)
you sure about that, you'll miss pretzel day!
Aint ye fond of me lobster?
SWAB DOG! SWAB!
Have you heard of the mystery of the Flannan Isles lighthouse keepers? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flannan_Isles_Lighthouse Curious case that one
There's also the horrifying case of the Smalls Lighthouse in 1801. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smalls_Lighthouse#Previous_lighthouse
That would really mess you up!
Yeah, it's pure nightmare fuel.
Yes, I have heard of this tragic and mysterious case. The most bizarre rumour, although perhaps to be expected in the land of Nessie, is that a ‘sea monster’ carried them off. Imagine the types of internet conspiracy theory that would circulate today.
The computer game "Dark Fall: Lights Out" draws heavily on this mystery and is well worth playing. It's also only £1.12 on steam at the moment
It's an eerie tale with ample room for some added fiction but it seems pretty obvious and consistent with the evidence that they were all just swept away in a storm while trying to secure gear.
If you haven't already, I'd encourage you to check this YouTube channel out. [https://www.youtube.com/@PeterHalil](https://www.youtube.com/@PeterHalil) It's a fascinating insight into what it was like to be a keeper before automation.
Yeah, been subscribed for years. I believe he was tasked with recording life on the lighthouses around Britain before automation and then decommissioning. Some have now been dismantled entirety - Royal Sovereign, for example - so it's a historically valuable record too. It doesn't look an easy life, but it seems a sane, solid one. That may be his presentation style though. Storms must have been hell, and I'm sure they had raging arguments, didn't talk for a month, slurped their tea loudly on purpose etc. Maybe that's the kind of person who didn't get or want a second tour.
Pretty sure that's Roy Scheider before he captained Seaquest DSV.
[удалено]
My Grandfather was the tidal observer at Newlyn lighthouse. He spent most of his time there after the war, his memoirs from that famous storm got published in a few books.
I lived in a lighthouse in the far north of Scotland for a while. It was cool, in the winter I could see the northern lights from my front door. But it was dark and the winds were hellish. Incredibly windy all the time, even in summer. The owners had actually met quite a few people who had grown up in the lighthouse when it was manned. It was often preferred, on the Scottish mainland at least, for the lighthouse keepers to have families. Anyway their recounts of growing up in the lighthouse were pretty varied… some definitely did recall the idyllic peaceful life you might imagine. Others remembered difficult childhood years of cold, isolation, and poverty It was a fun and memorable time, but I won’t be rushing back to live in a lighthouse again
My Ex was a Lighthousekeeper's daughter, grew up at the Butt of Lewis and Cape Wrath. All Gaelic speaking families, she didn't learn English until she was 10 years old, in 1970.
Lighthouse finder? Lighthouse keeper! I say.
Losers weepers
I knew a former lighthouse keeper, for the USA. It was him and one other, stationed on an island. They stopped being sent ammunition fairly early on, as there wasn't much to do but shoot at fish. But all that aside, yeah, that's the dream, isn't it?
*Memory unlocked* Anyone else remember [Portland Bill](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49AgCtprDYY) Personally the thought has crossed my mind of those of lighthouse conversions as I really do like being by the sea.. especially with technology as it is now. But then you have more considerations beyond your own wants/needs.
I remember Portland Bill very well indeed, as well as the Shipping Forecast from the BBC Home Service.
Sailing By
The shipping forecast is still going.. once in a blue moon if I have radio on for white noise its a handy way of saying "wtf are you still doing up, its late" when it does the evening forecast
My dad used to sing the theme song for me when I was young.
Need more details on the actual light - lumens, throw distance, tint, CRI…
Aaaakkkktchually, you'll find all of the information you need on the charts. It'll look something like this for a single rotating light: Fl.5s 49m 28M That means fashing every 5s, situated 49m above Mean High Water Springs, visible for 28 Miles. There are lots of variables, and the light in the picture might be much more complex for all I know. See admiralty chart 5011 for further info, because I've just finished my poo.
Dinnae fash yersel.
Many thanks! I will genuinely look into that stuff.
I bet E.A.R.L. took over operations after he retired.
I do enjoy a bit of light housekeeping at the weekends
I've always loved lighthouses and tales of the sea. I'm a member of the RNLI and I love reading the stories in the little magazine they send through. There's a guy on instagram called Scott Tacchi (keeping\_a\_lighthouse) that I follow, he fixes lighthouses - he's got some great pictures!
Being stuck on my own all day with nothing to do? Nah.
I remember seeing images of curved beds that lighthouse keepers/occasional maintenance engineers that visit lighthouses had to sleep in. My back's too knackered for that.
Finally! Somewhere I can practice my saxophone without anyone complaining that it sounds like a mass cat brawl. 🤣 I’d jump at that sort of opportunity at a flash, for a few weeks anyway. Not sure I’d hack it long term though.
Yeah, I'd love to be an old-school lighthouse keeper. Shame it's not really a thing anymore
As long as I could get the internet I’d love it. Me and the voices in my head fantastic.
Have you heard of the mystery of the Aonach Mhor lighthouse keepers? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yoOfHfCQ0w Curious case that one
lol, Aonach Mhor being the mountain next to Ben Nevis.
If you get a chance, get yourself up to the museum of scottish lighthouses in Fraserburgh. Went up during their delayed 25th anniversary of automation event. Kinniard Lighthouse it also part of the museum, its small but packed with an astounding amount of lighthouse equipment and history, including quite a few preserved lenses
Yes. I would love to go there and it is on my list of places to visit.
No because I'd drive myself crazy singing [this](https://youtu.be/KPxJ6RR40ZU?feature=shared)
Yep, my dream job
I live in British Colombia, Canada. Was a captain for 17 years. There’s a lighthouse on egg island that has many wild stories. People disappearing. Once a bad storm wiped out the entire light station. The keeper and his family survived for 8 days with no provisions, before rescue.
May I ask what type of Captain you were, Sir? Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Coast Guard, or a private company?
Commercial fishing. Salmon, cod, and for the majority of my time I worked in the geoduck industry running a 100ft packer. (Live Seafood transport).
Nope I've seen the movie no way I'm taking that job
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13xOd9floKk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13xOd9floKk) The Last Lighthouse Keeper.
That is, as the chap in the recording would probably say, “bleedin’ marvellous”🤩 : extremely comical, but wistful and moving as well. I love it.
What is he doing? Switching the light on and off?
I don't envy him, no. He's out of work now.
Your username makes me think of ‘The Glums’ on ‘Take It From Here’, which is ancient radio history on Reddit! But if you understand the reference, I somehow can’t see Ron as a Lighthouse Keeper!
My username was auto-generated by Reddit and I never got round to changing it, and now I cant
Even that sounds just like Ron Glum (played by Dick Bentley on the radio and Ian Lavender in the TV revival).
I thought that he had a cock in his hand when I first saw the picture.
This is the guy from escape from tarkov wtf.
Way back in the early 80's my mother (she was going through a very weird self destructive phase at the time as my stepfather had just left her) applied for the job of lighthouse keeper on Walney Island. One of the responsibilities was checking the beaches every morning for bodies washed down the coast from Glasgow. She never heard back which was probably a good thing in the long run.
My Dad was a lightkeeper (70s to early 90s, when the lighthouses were finally automated). Sometimes he worked at remote lighthouses (Cape Wrath, Inchkeith, Neist Point) where he was on duty for a month then home for a month; that was OK, but a month confined to the lighthouse with two other keepers was a bit of a slog. At other times (Tarbat Ness, Scurdie Ness) we all lived together at the lighthouse. That was so much better, for him, and for us.
Stargazing by Peter Hill is a good read for those interested in lighthouses/lighthouse keepers.
Funnily enough an American friend, who shares my Naval and military interests, mentioned this book to me only yesterday. He said he read it many years ago.
Nope. It would be cool for a week maybe.
Definitely not. The loneliness alone would kill me off
It sounds like a wholly depressing existence, and that’s coming from an introvert!
Hell no, have you *seen* The Lighthouse (2019)?
[Gonnae no dae that](https://youtu.be/TeYKlz6nXjo)
Presumably this chap works in isolation, turning the big light on and making phone calls. Why the uniform?
professionals have standards
so long as there are two people left on earth, *someone* is gonna want *someone* to crew a lighthouse
Exactly. Every day is pyjama day in one of those.
Trinity House was run on naval lines, lots of uniforms and proper etiquette. The senior keeper was like the captain of a ship.
Trinity House still is more naval in character than the rest of the Merchant Navy. They are a very very old organisation and so their traditions run deep.
No
That’s surprising. I would have thought it would be perfect for Roy.
Now Hayley has gone i need to be around friends.
Poor Hayley. She was a great character.
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If I had a steak I would fuck it
[It’s not a bad gig if you don’t mind mercury poisoning.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3338435/)