Start Point Lighthouse

A local landmark - Start Point lighthouse - has stood guard over one of Devon's most hazardous headlands since l836.

The 1kw lamp with an intensity of 2000,000 candela waits inside an impressive lens for the automatic signal to cut in. Revolving three times every ten seconds, the light covers a range of 25 sea miles. A fixed red signal warns mariners of the treacherous Skerries Bank below and in poor visibility a fog warning kicks in automatically with a three second blast per minute.

Responsible for keeping everything in perfect working order until he retired just days into the new millennium, was Peter Kingston who was Assistant Keeper back in 1975. A team of four ran the lighthouse until automation took over in l992 at a cost of £82,754. Peter, as Keeper in Charge, was o call 24 hours a day with sole responsibility for maintenance of the tower and to keep the light shining.

Peter Kingston in front of the light.

In the early days, staff lived on site and oil for the lamp was transported by road by horse and cart from East Portlemouth until electricity arrived in l959. Constant checks have always been necessary to assess the stability beneath the tower but in l989 the engine house collapsed into the sea following violent rain storms.

The view from the top of the 62m tower over some of the most dangerous coastline in Devon, serves as a reminder of the very necessary part the lighthouse plays in the safety of lives at sea.