| Location | Happisburgh, Norfolk, England |
|---|---|
| Year first lit | 1791 |
| Automated | 1929 |
| Construction | Masonry |
| Tower shape | round |
| Height | 26 m (85 ft) |
| Focal height | 15 m |
| Current lens | Catadioptric Fixed Lens |
| Range | 14 nm (26 km) |
| Characteristic | White group flashing 3 times every 30 seconds |
Happisburgh Lighthouse in Happisburgh on the North Norfolk coast is the only independently operated lighthouse in Great Britain. It is also the oldest working lighthouse in East Anglia.
The lighthouse is painted white with three red bands and has a light characteristic of Fl(3)30s (3 white flashes, repeated every 30 seconds) at a height of 135 ft (41.1 m) with a range of 14 miles (22.5 km).[1]
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The existing building was constructed in 1790, originally as one of a pair of candle-powered lights ("High Lighthouse" and "Low Lighthouse")[2] and has been electrified since 1947. The tower is 85 ft (25.9 m) tall, putting the lantern at 134 ft (40.8 m) above sea level.[3] The other lighthouse - the 'low light' which was decommissioned and demolished in 1883 before it could be lost due to coastal erosion - was 20 ft (6.1 m) lower. Together they formed a pair of range lights that marked a safe passage around the southern end of the offshore Haisborough Sands 8 miles (12.9 km) to the safe waters of 'The Would'.[4]
In 1987 Happisburgh was one of 5 lighthouses declared redundant by Trinity House and deactivation was planned for June 1988. Villagers organised a petition to oppose the closure, and as a result the date was postponed.
Under the Merchant Shipping Act of 1894,[5] Trinity House may dispose of a working lighthouse only to an established Lighthouse Authority. On 25 April 1990 the Happisburgh Lighthouse Act[6] received the Royal Assent establishing the Happisburgh Lighthouse Trust as a Local Light Authority, and Happisburgh became the only independently run operational lighthouse in Great Britain.
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