G02861

Flamborough Head Lighthouse Long Caption: Trinity House's Flamborough Head Lighthouse, in Yorkshire, was designed by Samuel Wyatt and was built by John Matson of Bridlington in 1806 at a cost of £8,000. The original oil-burning lighting apparatus was designed by George Robinson and consisted of a rotating vertical shaft to which were fixed 21 parabolic reflectors, seven on each of the three sides of the frame. Red glass covered reflectors on each side, which allowed for two white flashes followed by one red flash. This was an innovation quickly adopted elsewhere. The lighthouse serves as a waypoint for deep sea vessels and coastal traffic as well as marking the headland for vessels heading for the ports of Scarborough and Bridlington. In 1940 the Flamborough Lighthouse was electrified. It was automated in early 1996, the keepers finally leaving in May of that year. Credit line: © National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London. Object: G2861 Artist: Frith & Co. Date: 1897 Medium: silver halide: gelatine Size: 152 mm x 215 mm Click here to buy a bespoke print of this image.