This is Corbiere Lighthouse which is one of the most photgraphed places in Jersey. This capture was taken last week at the same time as the one I posted yesterday. My mum and I were sitting very close to the Radio Jersey Tower at a restaurant, where I was having my "fix" of cappuchino. The view is exactly the same as the one from the lounge of the Radio Tower but is free and can be seen daily if desired. Here is a little of the history behind this magnificent structure:- La Corbiere Lighthouse, designed by Sir John Coode, was Britain’s first reinforced concrete lighthouse and was completed in 1874 for the princely sum of £8000 (including the causeway and lighthouse keepers cottages!). Despite the lighthouse becoming automated in 1976 the original fittings and mechanisms are in pristine condition, in fact the lighthouse has been complimented by Trinity House (the UK’s General Lighthouse Authority) as being one of the best kept lighthouses in the United Kingdom. Lighthouse keepers (of which there were 4) would work in pairs and would spend 48 hours out at Corbiere, each man working 6 hour shifts, with both required to be on duty when conditions were particularly bad. When the bell tolls... Originally warnings were sounded by a bell coupled with the periodic detonation of an explosive charge, but as technology advanced this was replaced in 1933 with a foghorn blown using compressed air. Today in times of poor visibility an electric fog horn blows 4 times every minute, but the earlier system is still in working order as a back up. When the lighthouse first became operational (and until 1965) the light was provided by a vaporised paraffin lamp, with huge crystal encasing (still in use today) which magnifies the light rays so they are visible from up to 18 miles away. The shade, which shows the light for five second out of every ten, was originally driven by clockwork; with a large weight slowly descending down a pole running the height of the structure. With the advent of electricity the paraffin flame was extinguished for the final time in 1965, nowadays a 1000 watt bulb is in its place. Lights out During the German Occupation the light was switched out for the majority of the time, only turned on when German’s wanted to guide their own ships around the treacherous rocks. The lighthouse was relit for good on 19 May 1945. The Germans also installed an extra level in the lighthouse (which has since been removed) to give the soldiers stationed there more space. This is especially for Robin who is like many of us at the moment, an armchair traveller. Enjoy. Thank you for your views and comments Susan