Thursday, December 29, 2022

Lighthouse of the Week, December 18-24, 2022: Whitby West Pier Lighthouse, UK

 

In the previous installment of the Lighthouse of the Week, the Whitby East Pier Light was featured.  This time, the week's lighthouse will be the West Pier Lighthouse.  But first, let's talk a little about Whitby.

If you are somewhat versed in literature (and it doesn't have to be a lot), you might recognize the name of the coastal town of Whitby. If not, I won't keep you in suspense, but the book can (and will) -- Whitby was the town in England that was the English setting for Bram Stoker's novel Dracula.  Whitby was where the Count purchased a number of properties and deployed his caskets (complete with native soil) around the town, so he'd have a place to nap during the day.  And Whitby is also where Drac sunk his teeth into the local populace, specifically the Harker sisters, Lucy and Mina. 

Here's more about that:  Dracula in Whitby

The Whitby Abbey, which appears in the book, is particularly gothic, just right for a horror story, then and even now.









So now, about the lighthouse.

The Whitby West Pier Lighthouse is in the same place as the East Pier Lighthouse, except it's on the other side.

This picture makes it clearer.















The West Pier Lighthouse is the taller one on the right in this photograph.

More information is provided by the Lighthouse Directory (of course).
"1831. Generally inactive since about 1914; a green light is displayed when a vessel is expected and it is safe to enter the harbor. 25 m (83 ft) round cylindrical fluted stone tower with lantern and gallery, mounted on a square base. Tower unpainted, lantern painted white with a black dome. ... The Whitby piers were extended in 1914 and the active lights were moved to wood skeletal towers at the ends of the extensions."
There are lots of pictures, so shown below are four of them.









No comments: