Trevose Head Lighthouse. (unpublished.duplicate)

In the early 1800s only two lights at Longships and Lundy Island marked the rocky and dangerous North Cornwall coast to guide ships towards the Bristol Channel.
Trinity house considered the Padstow area for a light as early as 1813 but it was not until May 1845 that construction work was started. After completion of the first tower it was decided that the light was under certain circumstances liable to be mistaken so a second lower light was proposed. It was constructed 50 feet in front of the first light with a covered passage linking the two for use by the light keepers. Only the first built "high" light now remains the lower light being discontinued in 1882 and subsequently demolished.
Designed by engineer James Walker the two lights were constructed under supervision of Henry Norris by builders Jacob and Thomas Olver of Falmouth. Both lights were provided with first order fixed optics by Henry Lepaute of Paris, each with an oil lamp with 4 concentric wicks. The light was first lit on 1st December 1847.
In 1882 under Engineer in Chief James Douglass the high light was changed to an occulting light and the low light was taken out of use.
In 1912 the current rotating Chance Brothers of Smethwick near Birmingham catadioptric lens was installed replacing the original French optic. In 1920 the light was enhanced by a red filter to produce one red flash every 5 seconds.
The lens mechanism driven by weights that was originally installed in 1912 remained in use until the lighthouse was demanned in 1995.
At this time the original optic was retained, the red panels were removed and the rotation was slowed down to give the present signal.
The lighthouse is now a Grade II listed building and the keepers cottages are available as holiday lets.