Souter Lighthouse was built about 150 years ago to help ships safely navigate in the seas around Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Sunderland. Back then up to twenty ships each year were wrecked there.
It was the first UK lighthouse to be powered by electricity. It had its own generators, but the lighthouse keepers were still using gas or oil lamps for their accommodation there. The lights used 4500W bulbs that could be seen for miles. There was also an air-powered fog-horn. At some point they switched back to oil lamps as that was cheaper than running the generators. Each lighthouse along the coast would have a distinct design so that sailors could tell where they were.
It closed down in 1988 when GPS made navigation safer. You can now climb the tower to see the massive light. It weighs a few tons, but you can push it around by hand as it floats on a bath of mercury. At some point it was moved by a clockwork system using a weight that hangs below, but eventually used a small electric motor. The lenses had to be cleaned by hand every few days. The ladder to the top is steep and so some people might struggle to get up there.
You can see where the light house keepers lived and there are some displays about the history. When we went some local schoolkids were doing the tour.
There are some walks along the coast, but we did not go far. You can follow the costal path around most of the country, but that would take a while. This rock is covered in nesting seabirds. There was a guy by the lighthouse watching them with his telescope and camera with a long lens.
Looking back you can see the whole site with the foghorn on the left. There used to be a small mining town on that field, but it was demolished in 1968 when the mine closed. Off to the left (out of sight) are the old lime kilns that used coal from the mine.
This is a National Trust property so we got free entry with our membership. Otherwise it is around £7 for adults and you need to pay for the car park. They have a cafe that we did not visit. It is a fairly small site, but worth a visit if you are passing.
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