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South Stack Lighthouse

South Stack, Anglesey, Wales

 

The South Stack Lighthouse has warned passing ships of the treacherous rock below since its completion in 1809. The 91-foot (28 m)-tall lighthouse on South Stack was designed by Daniel Alexander and the main light is visible to passing vessels for 24 nmi (44 km; 28 mi), and was designed to allow safe passage for ships on the treacherous Dublin–Holyhead–Liverpool sea route. It provides the first beacon along the northern coast of Anglesey for east-bound ships.

 

In 1645 when lighthouses were privately owned, King Charles II was petitioned for a patent to build a lighthouse on South Stack. The request was refused. However, 143 years after the original petition, Trinity House leased South Stack island and construction of the lighthouse commenced. On 9 February 1809, the station's oil lamps, designed by Daniel Alexander at a cost of £12,000, were first lit. In 1828 an iron suspension bridge was built to replace the rope catwalk that originally linked the lighthouse to the bottom of the 400 steps down the cliff face.

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Uploaded on September 19, 2013
Taken on July 7, 2013