Eastbourne lighthouse turns off after 50 years of service

A lighthouse in Eastbourne has been decommissioned after half a century of service.
By India Wentworth
Published 6th Apr 2022, 16:01 BST
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The Royal Sovereign Lighthouse was built by Trinity House in 1971 and decommissioned as an aid to navigation on March 21 this year.

The lighthouse was built with a design life of 50 years. Having monitored the condition of the lighthouse over the last decade and observing the expected signs of deterioration, Trinity House concluded that the ongoing safety of the mariner required that the structure be decommissioned.

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The project to decommission the station was announced in June 2019. At that time Trinity House’s deputy master captain Ian McNaught said, “It is never an easy decision to discontinue and even remove such a prominent aid to navigation, but our first priority will always be the safety of the mariner.

Royal Sovereign Lighthouse. Photo by Catherine Yass. SUS-220604-154459001Royal Sovereign Lighthouse. Photo by Catherine Yass. SUS-220604-154459001
Royal Sovereign Lighthouse. Photo by Catherine Yass. SUS-220604-154459001

“Now that Royal Sovereign Lighthouse has reached the end of its serviceable life, it is time for us to take steps to ensure that the lighthouse itself does not become a hazard. There will be a lot of work involved for our engineers and our various other teams and we will be working extensively in collaboration with a number of organisations to ensure the success of this project.”

In anticipation of the removal of Royal Sovereign Lighthouse, Trinity House upgraded Beachy Head Lighthouse.

More information on Royal Sovereign Lighthouse

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