Wooden 194-year-old lighthouse in need of repairs

Repairs to a nearly two-centuries-old wooden lighthouse on the Somerset coastline will take place in the next few months to help "future proof" it.

The Burnham-on-Sea Low Lighthouse has helped guide ships and vessels since it was originally built in 1832 and remains a fully operational navigational aid.

Repairs needed include rusting metalwork, damage to one of the legs and paint peeling away from the Grade II-listed structure, as first reported by Burnham-on-Sea.com.

Somerset Council said: "We're developing plans and seeking funding to repair and repaint it. The work will be carried out when weather and operating conditions are suitable, helping to protect the lighthouse."

Captain Jessica Tyson MNM is the Harbour Master and Marine Pilot for Somerset Council. She previously told BBC Radio Somerset's Secret Somerset series that it is a "very well known landmark" in the South West.

"The marine environment is never a kind one and things to start rusting quite quickly. We do try and use the right things to keep it maintained.

"People sometimes don't realise, the lighthouse is still very much in use.

"Coming into Burnham or the port of Bridgwater, we have a lot of sandbanks, a lot of tide and there's quite flat countryside. This was built to provide a landmark for the seafarers to see the coastline so they didn't run aground.

"At one point, the port of Bridgwater actually rivalled Bristol - this was and still is a busy area."

Three beams of lights come out of this building to help "guide" sea traffic along the Somerset coastline, according to Tyson.

She continued: "We have a red light for port, a green light for Starboard and a white light for what we would call down the middle.

"The sectored light is just a very visual guide really for ships coming in or out to see their situation. It's very windy and can get very shallow towards the Steart flats.

"We've had big steel structures heading towards Hinkley Point construction site and that's why we’re here - to help ships navigate.

"The light above is a steady white light, that's for shipping across Bridgwater bay - we're providing a navigational aid for transiting traffic down the Bristol Channel.

"The Red stripe - we have a similar one on the Esplanade - they are lined up and that's where I believe it has come from to help the vessels guide to the port of Bridgwater."

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