en South Bishop Lighthouse

South Bishop Lighthouse
Location	South Bishop island; St George's Channel; Wales; United Kingdom
Coordinates	51°51′10″N 5°24′43″W / 51.852714°N 5.411925°W
Tower
Constructed	1839
Built by	James Walker
Construction	granite tower
Automated	1983
Height	11 m (36 ft)
Shape	cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markings	white tower and lantern
Power source	solar power
Operator	Trinity House
Heritage	Grade II listed building
Fog signal	3 blasts every 45s. (range of 2 nmi (3.7 km))
Light
Focal height	44 m (144 ft)
Lens	4th Order Catadioptric
Intensity	60,000 CD
Range	16 nmi (30 km)
Characteristic	Fl W 5s.

The South Bishop Lighthouse is a lighthouse on South Bishop Island (also known as Emsger), a small rock approximately 5 miles (8 km) west of St Davids Head in Pembrokeshire, Wales.

History

In 1831 the traders of the port of Cardigan made an application to build a light, and this was authorised in 1834.^[3] Designed by James Walker, the lighthouse was built on the island in 1839, acting both as a waymark for vessels navigating offshore and as assistance to ships navigating around the Bishops and Clerks island group.

The lighthouse was converted to electric operation in 1959, and in 1971 a helipad was constructed at the site. Finally, the lighthouse was automated and demanned in 1983.

Like many in the UK, it is now monitored from the control centre at Trinity House in Harwich, Essex, England.

Architecture

The tower is built of granite, and is circular with a slight taper. A cornice at the top of the tower has iron railings, this is unusual in lighthouses designed by James Walker. Accommodation for the keepers was provided in two adjoining houses, which were built at the same time as the tower. Other buildings accommodate equipment.^[3]

Seabirds

It was built in the path of many migrating sea birds, and the brilliance of the light at night often led the birds to dash themselves against the lantern. Many died and, when Trinity House and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds teamed up, together they came to the conclusion to build special bird perches on the side of the lighthouse lantern. After this the number of deaths decreased considerably.^{[citation needed]}