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One of three lighthouses in Burnham-on-Sea:-
Before any of these the first light was in a church tower.
Burnham-on-Sea Low Lighthouse
The High lighthouse or pillar lighthouse is one of three lighthouses in Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset. A Grade II listed building, it is no longer functional as a lighthouse and is now holiday apartments. Although it also still serves as a day mark for coastal navigation. Burnham-on-Sea is notable for its beach and mudflats, which are characteristic of Bridgwater Bay and the rest of the Bristol Channel where the tide can recede for over 1.5 miles (2.4km). Burnham is close to the estuary of the River Parrett where it flows into the Bristol Channel, which has the second highest tidal range in the world of 15 metres (49ft), second only to Bay of Fundy in Eastern Canada. The constantly shifting sands have always been a significant risk to shipping in the area. The 30 metre (98ft) pillar or High Lighthouse was designed and built by Joseph
Nelson for Trinity House, in the 1830's and equipped with a paraffin lamp, which
shone through a half-gallery under a window. It was used in conjunction with the
Low lighthouse,
Burnham-on-Sea Low Lighthouse,
The ground floor was 5 metres (16ft) in diameter and the top room 3 metres (9.8ft). It was automated in 1920. In the 1990's it was deactivated and sold by Trinity House and bought by a member of the Rothschild family. The red stripe on the building is still used as a day range. The Rothschild family owned it until 1996 when it was bought at auction by Patrick O'Hagan. Conversion for residential use included the removal of the 6th floor and the construction of stairs where there had previously only been ladders. It is now available for holiday lets. It can
sleep 6 with 3 bedrooms and is split over 8 floors, you can see details of this, the
current inside and some views from windows on its own website at
www.lighthouseholiday.com
The story of the three lighthouses, and the church tower The Bristol Channel has the second greatest tidal range of any stretch of water in the world and can be extremely dangerous. In the 1700's it was estimated 2,000 boats used the River Parrett each day to load and unload cargo from Bridgwater Bay. Their route was surrounded by treacherous sand-banks. The first version of the story starts back on a stormy night in 1750 when a sailor's wife lit a candle in the window of her home at Burnham-on-Sea to guide her husband home. From his tiny vessel, far out in the Bristol Channel, the seaman saw the signal and it guided him safely back to Burnham - through raging seas. After hearing the story of the candle in the window, seamen agreed to pay the woman a levy to keep the light burning: These fees were:-
This would have been a lot of money in that time, and its not clear if this represents a fee per year or whatever, but with a lot of ships this would have produced, if true, a considerable income. A local curate the Rev. David Davies realised there was money to be made. The church sexton was sent to buy the business from the old woman for the vast sum of 5 pounds, which does not seem much compared with the income she would have been getting or going to get. The story says she died a wealthy widow, but perhaps more facts are missing. The curate lit a beacon on the roof of the St Andrew's church tower. He later built a 4 storey round tower next to the church and this became Burnham's first lighthouse, the remains of which still stand to this day, although truncated and having castellations added to avoid confusion. In 1813 Rev Davies negotiated with Trinity House, Britain's official lighthouse Authority chartered by Henry VIII in 1514, a 100 year lease to continue his commercial enterprises. In return he paid them 135 pounds each year. By 1830 Trinity House decided to buy back the remaining 85 years of the lease agreement and paid Rev Davies £13,681, 17S 3d. There is a slight problem with this, in that 80 years has elapsed and the enterprising curate is still a curate in the same position, so he's still working and now well over 100 years old. Perhaps he should have bottled the water that was keeping him going, but no that's a part of the second version. A second version of the story Another version says that during the 18th century a light was placed on the top of St Andrews Church tower to guide fishing boats into the harbour. A local vicar, either John Goulden in 1764 or Walter Harris in 1799, raised a subscription amongst the local population to replace the light on the church, with a lighted tower. This was built in 1800 to 1801,when the curate David Davies paid the verger £20 to build the round tower attached to his house. Some funds were raised from local merchants and ship owners, however by 1813 funds were insufficient and David Davies was given permission to levy dues to supplement the £135 annual income, as this wasn't enough for the lights maintenance. A 100 year lease was attached to the permission to levy fees, however later, the outstanding 85 years of the lease was sold to Trinity House around 1829. Funds from the sale to Trinity House were used by the then vicar, Rev David Davies, to improve the area in an attempt to create a spa town. Another slightly different variation says The Rev. David Davies was granted a lease for a permanent light in Burnham on Sea, in the early 19th century. This was a lucrative enterprise. The dues were five shillings for British ships, ten for foreign ones and three shillings for coastal vessels. And the port of Bridgwater, a little further up the river, was getting increasingly busy.
Early postcard showing how it looked in earlier times, possibly 1910. Image from Camera Images archive
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