Lighthouses of England, Eddystone Lighthouse, Plymouth. early 1990's

This was filmed in the early 1990's. It was another of my walk through tours where I only had a couple of hours on board. I was a Lighthouse Keeper but had never been posted to this Lighthouse before. I have also included a walk through of Smeatons Tower on the Hoe in Plymouth.

[@carlleake1666]

Really enjoyed watching this. I wouldn't fancy travelling all the way to the bottom if I needed the toilet ASAP 😂.

[@PeterHalil]

Thank you very much. Yes a very long way to go for a pee in the middle of the night! Take care.

[@bender7565]

What a nice surprise on my day off, Thanks. I had never heard the story about Henry and that huge chunk of lead he had in him. That is one of those things that will take a while to get out of my head. Death by molten lead, yikes.

[@PeterHalil]

Thanks, yes, a nasty way to go, yikes.

[@PeterHalil]

@@bellelise. and apparently, he was 94, grief.

[@PeterHalil]

@@bellelise. At 94, if we get to that age, most of us would struggle getting our socks on in the morning!, Yes, they broke the mould when they made guys like Henry.

[@o.g.j.m.strouken3792]

Extremely interesting! What a special constructions in the middle of the seas! Thank you for keeping their histories and memories alive.

[@PeterHalil]

Thank you for that, much appreciated. stay safe

[@simonmakinson]

Another wonderful informative video Peter, I am so much enjoying your tours. They are all fantastic history tours of our great British maritime heritage. Thank you again, Simon.

[@PeterHalil]

Thank you simon, glad you like them, take care

[@joeseville6269]

Thanks Peter, never would have had the opportunity to see the inside. Very sad the first lighthouse was wooden and got washed away.

[@PeterHalil]

Hi Joe, I think this one and the Bishop Rock were Keepers favourite Towers for the room inside. Yes it was sad about the wooden one. Stay safe.

[@pairojeans]

Another awesome video thanks for your great contribution Peter.

[@PeterHalil]

Thank you, just doing my version of "Kilroy was here", glad you and others like them.

[@localbod]

Thank you for posting this. I find these videos really enjoyable to watch.

[@PeterHalil]

Thank you very much, so glad you like them. Take care

[@sheep1ewe]

Thank You for contine this great serie! It realy should be on TV. I always wondered about all weird and wonderful stories that must had been around in peoples head while living for such long periods on those remote places and looking out ower the sea, and taking it in with Your whole body and senses every day, eyes, ears, breating it into the lungs and realy sensing it all ower the skin and feeling the wind in the hair and the bones. Before our modern age of always being connected by modern electronics, drowned in useless information and experience the constant stress of our modern, "connected" world. I am honestly jelous of those who had the oportunity to realy taking it all in and processing it with a pristine brain and forge it together with those aincient mysteries. (I know i am a dreamer, but the sea hawe always been the best healer to me when i felt my mind are sinking, always since i was a little child the sea always made start dreaming and feel that timeless connection to our wery earliest past, probably even before we even became modern humans, and aincient mysteries.)

[@PeterHalil]

Thanks, there are still a lot of us dreamers about, stay safe

[@annettehachey7909]

Nice to be a dreamer, we get much more out of life than many people. Our eyes and ears are open to many things that would otherwise slip by unnoticed. I feel and experience many of the same things you do but it's the woods, rivers and lakes that tickle my fancy. The scents and sounds are so different than the ocean. Not saying that the ocean isn't beautiful, it's so very diverse and amazing but I fish lakes and rivers and gather food from the land so it feeds my spirit differently. All the best vampira 🙂.

[@PeterHalil]

@@annettehachey7909 Thank you for that, I too love the countryside when I get around to my walking bits. I've been trying to do the Wales Coastal Path but seem to have reached the end of my invisible piece of string, but hopefully will plod on again in the not too distant future. I suppose coastal walking is I get the best of both Worlds, I walk through our beautiful lush scenery and over my shoulder is the sea, take care.

[@sheep1ewe]

@@annettehachey7909 Thank You! Yes, i spend as much time as i can in the forest, i used to borrow my fathers old canoe when i was a child and follow the streams in the rivers around he's farmhouse until it reached bigger ponds, bigger lakes, etc, i remember i was one of those kids wich spent several houers in the bathtube in order to train my lungs so i could dive longer and explore the bottom of the lake outside my parents home, i remember my mother alwas paniked and i did my best to avoid her when i was rockdiving on the bottom in the middle of of the lake. Probably not a dream kid for my parents to look after, but, that's how i a still am i suppose, i still love to explore mother natures many mysteries... :) Hugs from the could Scandinavian winter!

[@sheep1ewe]

I realy, realy want to be a mermaid if there is another life after this. :)

[@andydunn5673]

Another fantastic and little film Thanks for sharing these with us all

[@PeterHalil]

Thank you Andy, glad you enjoyed it, cheers.

[@NapierNimbus]

Great film, the price and commitment people pay to warn others of danger. Poor man that swallowed that molten lead, dreadful injury pain must have been horrific. Thought of you because noticed the Google image celebrated the anniversary of the first Eddystone light today and your upload of this structure duly appeared.

[@PeterHalil]

I also saw that Google image which prompted me to put the Eddystone video up earlier than planned, glad you liked it.

[@benoosha4947]

I like all these videos. They are a fascinating insight into these magnificent structures and the lives of the keepers.

[@PeterHalil]

Thank you very much, glad you like them. Stay safe

[@ramseybarber8312]

Hi Peter in the 1970's when I was diving we used to dive off the Eddystone and a reef nearby called the Hans Deep, on the lighthouse is a window called the Hans Deep Window and I often wonder why , Now is the Red light showing a dangerous area sector, shining over the Hans Deep ? We only dived in daylight so we would never see a red light at night.So for 50yrs i have often wondered why the Hans Deep window is called such, Thanks for the Vlog's enjoyed.

[@PeterHalil]

Hi ramsey, I don't know the answer to that other than the red light shines over a danger area. I was never stationed on the Eddystone so hopefully anybody else that was and sees this will reply more fully.

[@leonelryker6834]

i know I am pretty off topic but does anybody know of a good site to stream newly released series online ?

[@llcfwilson]

Another fascinating glimpse into these fabulous lonely structures . Your narrations will form a part of history as the voice of the last generation of men to work these towers . Truly a unique and special storyline . Quite apart from the challenges of building these rock towers using wooden boats , ropes and derricks , muscle , determination and fortitude - I’m intrigued as to how they manage to install and periodically replace these large diesel generators on the upper decks . Were the blocks and crank cases physically hauled in pieces from boats to the tower then up the spiral staircases to be assembled ?

[@PeterHalil]

Thank you for that, I have a feeling that everything now gets assembled once it gets out to the Lighthouses and is delivered to the top by helicopter. In the days of boats everything had to be winched and manhandled into and up inside the tower, tough men back then, cheers

[@mrdouglasbaker]

National treasure. Buildings and films.

[@PeterHalil]

Thank you, much appreciated, stay safe

[@davidbutler4363]

Great vlog Peter,well done👍😁👏👏👏

[@PeterHalil]

Thank you very much, glad you liked it, cheers.

[@federicolopez1810]

Thank you very much Peter for this amazing series of videos. I ‘m enjoying all of them as the jewels they are.

[@PeterHalil]

Thank you for those kind words Federico, glad you like my efforts, more coming, take care.

[@andrew.dolan890]

This is fantastic. Growing up in Plymouth I always wanted to see inside

[@PeterHalil]

Thank you Andy, glad you liked it, more coming, take care.

[@rb6662]

Thank you

[@rafaelhabsburg408]

Very hard but beautiful work,greetings from Poland :)

[@johndawes2397]

Another bit of footage of Rod Dawes ( mechanic ) in the engine room ? he looked so young bank then ,,,, nice video pete . cheers john dawes ..

[@PeterHalil]

Yes it was Rod, cheers. Thanks again much appreciated. Hope you have a safe and happy new year.

[@johndawes2397]

@@PeterHalil Happy new year to you and your family pete have a good one best wishes john dawes

[@SIONARAFLORIDA]

Love the "Throne Room" @2:00

[@PeterHalil]

Yes, and so private! LOl

[@sarkybugger5009]

@@PeterHalil A good case for singing loudly.

[@PeterHalil]

@@sarkybugger5009 and plenty of lovely echo, eat your heart out Ed Sheeran! LOl

[@sheep1ewe]

I laughted hard at that warning sign on the door in the previous video... There is something i just love about that type of childish and spontanuos humour, no more, no less, it just something somebody did in order to make the life happy for someone else and it filled it's purpose, no need for provoking or hurting people with made up, constructed show jokes, simply an improved sheering up from somones heart to friends, just another of those tiny little details that make our daily life and the world more joyable and happy.

[@PeterHalil]

@@sheep1ewe Humour is a "must have" on a Lighthouse, so is patience if they don't have the aforementioned quality.

[@raysmith-gosling8949]

Hi there I lived at St Annes head lighthouse for a big chunk of my childhood my father an assistant keeper there. I just wanted to say that I have watched your videos and thoroughly enjoyed them. My father introduced me to them and it was lovely how nostalgic he got when he watched them with me. I always wanted to visit Eddystone, Wolfrock and the Smalls and I was delighted that you were able to show a guided tour of the tower out there. I saw the familiar Trinity paint job and the brass rails and I could almost smell that unique smell that I remember from living at St Annes head. I was privileged to witness a functioning lighthouse and the everyday operations that went on there it was a fascinating place to live and enjoy childhood. So thank you for putting up these amazing videos of a sadly finished profession and for giving me a glimpse of how some of my fathers early working day would of been spent Thanks again Ray Smith-gosling (ex lighthouse keepers kid)

[@PeterHalil]

So glad that you have enjoyed my efforts, and even more glad that it triggered so many memories from you and your Dad. Your surname rings a large bell, but I'm unsure if your Dad and I ever met ( age has a habit of playing with memories) I started my videoing because Trinity House seemed more focused on the automation of every Lighthouse and our fast passing way of life was being destined for the bin without a whimper. It pleases me no end when I get responses like yours, it makes it all worth while, take care.

[@PHAROS23]

@@PeterHalil Hi Pete Ray's dad left TH by the end of 93 so you may have missed him.

[@PeterHalil]

@@PHAROS23 Hi, I've only had 3 from the 30th, never noticed anything on 10th.

[@PHAROS23]

@@PeterHalil Pete I should have put 30/10th

[@PeterHalil]

@@PHAROS23 Yes and replied.

[@jimzeleny7213]

In Canada there was a short window when lighthouses were still manned but being set up to be autonomous. (Approximately 1974 until 1986) Each remote station had an asbestos lined engine house equipped with three 8.5kw Lister diesels fitted with 35 gallon oil sumps. One engine would be started and run until it died perhaps for two or three years. Then the next engine would start and run itself to death as well. It was decided that there was less engine wear running them that way without the pounding that occurs when a stationary engine starts up. Now all stations have been simplified with no fog horns and a single solar powered LED light of about 5 watts. Light keepers have all since retired ending an era.

[@AaronOxfordExmouth1989]

Fantastic videos these are.

[@PeterHalil]

Glad you like them Aaron, stay safe.

[@PHAROS23]

Hi Pete Another gem Pete, a superb job. The maintenance team in the video are they from the Penzance depot and was that Roger again?

[@PeterHalil]

Yes it was Roger again, thanks

[@user-sh9bq9vf5r]

Have you heard of the movie “The Lighthouse” by Robert Eggers? It came out recently. You might be interested in that. Thanks for all your great videos

[@PeterHalil]

Hi, I've heard of it but haven't seen it yet, glad you like my films, cheers

[@eloise1713]

Hi Peter, fascinating thanks for this video. I have been to Penzance Lighthouse Museum and I saw a main door I think it was from Wolf Rock and it had been destroyed by the sea bent all shapes as though it was a piece of paper . That was back in 1995 of all the things in that museum I remember the battered door the most must have been terrifying when that happened.

[@PeterHalil]

Hi Jane, That door was from the Bishop Rock, and it was done after the place was automated and no Keepers there to report it. I strongly suspect that if the place was still manned, then yes, it would have been a scary moment! cheers

[@eloise1713]

@@PeterHalilOh right just shows the power of the sea. When was the Bishop Rock automated then I think The Lizard lighthouse was the last to be manned I had a tour of that one in 1995.

[@PeterHalil]

@@eloise1713 The Bishop was automated in 1992. My last lighthouse was the Lizard, and I was there 1996/97. That video will be put up in the no too distant future.

[@jackharrison6771]

Good one Peter. I like the steps up to the 'Throne' or the High Seat. I put the vid on my F/Book wall with today's reminder image from Google. Jack.

[@PeterHalil]

Cheers Mate, yes the "Throne" tickled me as well, I wonder if that sort of planning will catch on in everybody's house?, take care.

[@jackharrison6771]

@@PeterHalil Haha, I suppose it keeps a little more space to walk in. Especially if the inner lights failed.

[@squeaksvids5886]

Your films are fascinating, thanks for filming a part of our history that’s often forgotten. By the way, how did you manage to sleep with the sound of those engines going on all the time?!

[@PeterHalil]

Thank you Paul for the kind words, as regards the engine or fog horn noises, it just becomes white noise and you tend not to notice so much. It's also amazing that once you get used to the fog horn noise and you go to bed (when not on duty) it tends to wake you up when it stops!, take care.

[@LittleKitty22]

Fascinating video, don't know why I haven't come across it before! It's a shame that they took Smeaton's Tower down in 1882, Trinity House claimed the rock on which it stood was cracked but I don't believe that, the stump of Smeaton's Tower is still there and it's as solid as ever. I wonder what their real intention was for building a new tower... Smeaton's Tower was so cute, I'm glad it's now open to the public but I would have loved to have seen it in its original form and without the garish red and white paint on it.

[@PeterHalil]

Just found this by accident, never had a notification, sorry. Smeaton's Tower was/is rather good. If I got to visit this again, I would try and get there before all the crowds for videoing. It's a lovely looking Lighthouse. Cheers and stay safe

[@williamcampbell3868]

I think the taller lighthouse reassured that the higher waves would never reach the upper portion of the tower. This along with the wider and stronger base made it more resistant to higher waves.

[@MattDavis_BeechingsGhosts]

Very interesting, thank you. How long did a shift last and I didn't notice any cleansing (shower) facilities, I guess water in short supply and no room. I'm sure you get used to it and others around you do also, but when you're back on the boat, does anyone notice? Is it straight home for a hot bath?

[@PeterHalil]

Thank you. No I didn't notice a shower there either, but I was doing a short visit to film. Normally it was a strip down wash in the middle watch, midnight till 4am. When I came home from lights like this, it was the smell of diesel that the wife noticed, as we could only dry our clothes in the engine room. Watches were 8 hour shifts except the middle. Cheers and stay safe.

[@squeaksvids5886]

Thank for a fascinating film. Two questions: 1, Why is the engine room right above the sleeping accommodation and not towards the bottom. Sounds very loud where you’re trying to sleep. 2, When it’s very stormy can you feel the waves hitting the tower?

[@PeterHalil]

Thank you for that, In most Towers, if there was room, they had an upper and a lower engine room. The simple answer to why it was so close to the bedroom would be a case of room. They built the lighthouse and filled it with all the bits to drive it, then I think the Keepers and their comfort was last on the list. The Towers would give a gentle shake when big waves hit. So yes you certainly can feel it when a big storm hits. Stay safe.

[@ABCDEF-yf4yu]

Eddystone Lighthouse, how many miles from Plymouth, and is it the one that can be seen from Looe? I'm sure the band called Edison Lighthouse about 50 years ago with the song Love grows where my Rosemary goes.

[@PeterHalil]

Hi the Eddystone is visible from Looe, and it is about 14 miles from Plymouth, cheers

[@dyenosaur]

Hi Peter, as I’ve watched through most of your videos now I’m wondering how all the equipment (particularly the engines) managed to be installed in the offshore rock lighthouses? I am assuming they must have brought equipment out in parts small enough to handle and then assembled once inside? Regardless, it must have been some job navigating those steep and narrow stairs with large items. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all of your videos and would like to say a big “thank you” for all of your effort in making these available.

[@PeterHalil]

Thank you Matthew for your kind comments, glad you like the videos, and yes I would assume everything came out in manageable bits to assemble but as you say, anything carried up and down those stairs was hard work. Cheers and stay safe

[@annettehachey7909]

Oh wow, banana bunks, too cool! Quite noisy though, I imagine you'd need earplugs to sleep there. I didn't know there are red lights. Wow those stairs could be deadly if you're not careful. The handrails look like brass. Oi vey, I don't think I could stand upright on top of the helipad, I'm terrified of heights!. Oh my, smeaton looks a tad dilapidated 🙁. Ewww, the piece of lead in a museum?, that's a tad tacky.

[@PeterHalil]

Hi Annette, I'm not brill with heights either, though you would never guess with my job choice.Yes those towers were noisy but it's surprising how much becomes background. I don't really think that the powers to be bothered too much about getting quieter motors and engines for our comfort.Never ever used earplugs but I did treat myself to a hot water bottle as sleeping next to cold granite walls wasn't always joyful, stay safe and take care.

[@Sagittarius-A-Star]

I wonder how they could endure that engine noise. They are placed above the sleeping quarters - why not in the lower engine room? (There seems to be less space, though.)

[@PeterHalil]

Hi, I think the engine noise comes across louder on video, but I may be wrong. On some lights the engines were down below, but I don't think that Lighthouse Keepers comfort was ever the top of any Lighthouse design, cheers, stay safe.

[@thebestisyettocome4114]

Seen 12/2019 In case of emergency could the lighthouses in UK be up and running with human staff. I guess can they still be used if you needed too. Thank you form Los Angeles California USA 🇺🇸. Happy Holidays

[@PeterHalil]

To be honest, I don't know, as we are no longer in the "Loop". The hardest part now I guess would be the drinking water on station, as I doubt the tanks under the floor would be any good anymore, but the bedroom and kitchen would still be there.

[@thebestisyettocome4114]

@@PeterHalil Thank you

[@Contrafactum]

Hi Peter, In many lighthouse videos, old and new, one of the keepers' regular duties was to mask the lens from the sun when necessary. With automation, what prevents the sun from starting fires or causing other problems?

[@PeterHalil]

Hi some of your enquiry is missing but I'm guessing it's about when men aren't on a light to stop the sun from starting fires? Basically if they still use the original lenses then it is kept turning or it is replaced with a diddy plastic looking affair.

[@wakeoftheflood2]

Peter, Im curious how smokers/non-smokers got along at lighthouse postings? Did the non-smokers just have to put up with it ?

[@PeterHalil]

We more or less had to put up with it till much later in my career when our Government made it illegal to smoke in a workplace. I am a non smoker and I've been on a Tower rock with a chain-smoker, not good. There was a case I remember of a Keeper that got out of going out to a Tower rock by citing the fact that Trinity House couldn't guarantee that a smoker wouldn't be there. Cheers, stay safe

[@paulbeadle1714]

How on earth you sleep with the noise of the generator going all the time it would do my head in

[@PeterHalil]

I'm not sure that it was really that loud, or we just put it into the background. A bit like we all do in a car or a jet flight when going off somewhere, having said that, it was noisy in the engine rooms

[@penelopeplimsoul3617]

Sad story. 😢

[@hernancarbia1288]

Peter, I've always wonder everytime you enter a battery room, how much light time do those batteries account for? With no engine, how many hours could those batteries run the lighthouse normally? Thanks a lot, love your videos, both the topic and your filming and narration. Cheers from Argentina!

[@PeterHalil]

Hi Hernan, I wish that I could remember the answer to that, but it has been way too many years . Hopefully, some Trinity House bod with better recollections than me may see this and give us an answer? Sorry, cheers and stay safe.