Blackhead Lighthouse is a listed
lighthouse built at the turn of the 20th century, near
Whitehead in
County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...
, Northern Ireland. It marks the very northern end of
Belfast Lough
Belfast Lough is a large, intertidal sea inlet on the east coast of Northern Ireland. At its head is the city and port of Belfast, which sits at the mouth of the River Lagan. The lough opens into the North Channel and connects Belfast to ...
where it opens out into the
North Channel North Channel may refer to:
*North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland)
The North Channel (known in Irish and Scottish Gaelic as , in Scots as the ) is the strait between north-eastern Northern Ireland and south-western Scotland. It begins no ...
that separates Northern Ireland and Scotland.
[
The active lighthouse is managed by the ]Commissioners of Irish Lights
The Commissioners of Irish Lights ( ga, Coimisinéirí Soilse na hÉireann), often shortened to Irish Lights or CIL, is the body that serves as the general lighthouse authority for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and their adjacen ...
, where it is named as the Blackhead Antrim Lighthouse to distinguish it from the more modern Blackhead lighthouse in County Clare.[
]
History
The first application for a lighthouse at Black Head was made by the Belfast Harbour Board in 1893. It was refused by the Commissioners of Irish Lights on the basis that the light would only benefit shipping entering Belfast and should not be financed by the general Mercantile Marine Fund. A second request was made in early 1898, this time supported by Lloyd's
Lloyd's of London, generally known simply as Lloyd's, is an insurance and reinsurance market located in London, England. Unlike most of its competitors in the industry, it is not an insurance company; rather, Lloyd's is a corporate body gov ...
and the Belfast Chamber of Commerce as well as the Harbour Board, it was also refused. Further representations were made that year, including discussions in the House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
, until the Board of Trade and Trinity House
"Three In One"
, formation =
, founding_location = Deptford, London, England
, status = Royal Charter corporation and registered charity
, purpose = Maintenance of lighthouses, buoys and beacons
, he ...
agreed to make available funding to cover the estimated cost of £10,025 (equivalent to £ as of ) for the construction of a lighthouse and fog signal
A foghorn or fog signal is a device that uses sound to warn vehicles of navigational hazards such as rocky coastlines, or boats of the presence of other vessels, in foggy conditions. The term is most often used in relation to marine transport. W ...
.[
The contract to construct the light was awarded to William Campbell and Sons in 1899 with work starting the same year. Designed by William Douglass engineer-in-chief to the CIL, the lighthouse was completed in 1902. Situated at the top of a steep cliff to guide ships into Belfast Lough and the port of Belfast, it complements the ]Mew Island Lighthouse
Mew Island Lighthouse is an active lighthouse within the Copeland Islands of County Down in Northern Ireland. The current 19th-century tower is the most recent in a series of lighthouses that have been built in the islands, which have helped t ...
on the southern side of the lough entrance, which was also designed by Douglass.[
]
The lighthouse consists of an octagonal stone tower high, with lantern and gallery painted white. The main two-storey keeper's house is built close by and linked to the tower by an enclosed walkway. There is also an adjacent detached superintendent's house. The lighthouse was electrified in 1965 and became automatic in 1975. The fog signal was suppressed in 1972.[
With a focal height of above the sea, the light from the first order ]Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens developed by the French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788–1827) for use in lighthouses. It has been called "the invention that saved a million ships."
The design allows the c ...
with its 400W bulb can be seen for 27 nautical miles, with a characteristic of a single white flash every 3 seconds.[
Blackhead is one of the dozen lighthouses that make up the "Great Lighthouses of Ireland", a tourism initiative designed to promote the use of certain lighthouses for holiday accommodation.
The keeper's houses at the lighthouse were refurbished by the ]Irish Landmark Trust
The Irish Landmark Trust is an architectural conservation and educational organisation founded in Ireland in 1992. Similar to the British Landmark Trust (founded in 1965), it is a charitable organization, registered charity which renovates buildin ...
, and are now offered as holiday accommodation. They retain the original whistle pipes that were used to call the off-duty keeper's to their watch duties.[
]
Coastal path
The lighthouse is accessible by a narrow private road (only accessible by foot for the general public) about 4 km north-east of Whitehead, and also by foot along the Blackhead Path
A comedo is a clogged hair follicle (pore) in the skin. Keratin (skin debris) combines with oil to block the follicle. A comedo can be open (blackhead) or closed by skin (whitehead) and occur with or without acne. The word "comedo" comes from the ...
from the town. This walkway was developed by Berkeley Deane Wise
Berkeley Deane Wise (2 October 1855, New Ross – 5 May 1909, Portrush) was an Irish civil engineer who made a significant impact on the development of railways and tourism, particularly in Northern Ireland.
Early years
Berkeley Deane Wise w ...
, to help attract tourists to the town, and loops around the headland requiring bridges and two tunnels. It was the precursor to the more dramatic Gobbins path, a few miles further north along the coast.[
]
Listed buildings
The entire lighthouse complex including the tower and keeper's houses is protected as a category B+ listed building.[
]
See also
* List of lighthouses in Ireland
This is a list of lighthouses in Ireland. The Commissioners of Irish Lights are responsible for the majority of marine navigation aids around the island though a small number are maintained by local harbour authorities. The main list identifi ...
References
External links
Commissioners of Irish Lights
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blackhead Lighthouse
Lighthouses in Northern Ireland
Buildings and structures in County Antrim
Lighthouses completed in 1902
Grade B+ listed buildings
Listed lighthouses in Northern Ireland
1902 establishments in Ireland