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That depends a lot on the nature of the lighthouse - whether or not it has living accomodation for a start. The over-riding impression is its circularity. Much of the internal space is surprisingly empty, especially in a non-residential one, as the tower's function is to hold a lamp high above the sea. The lamp-room is small and dominated by the lamp and its surrounding, rotating optics - large Fresnel lenses that break the light from the lamp and focus it into the beams that produce the distinct flashes when swept round. The lamp itself does not flash. There will also be ancillary equipment such as stand-by generators, the fog-signal, and so on. The UK's lighthouses all had living accommodation either within the tower or in adjoining cottages, depending on the location, but I think they are all now automatic and monitored remotely; visited only for maintenance and repairs. A few, such as Portland Bill, are open to the public on some days in daylight hours - but you need a good head for heights for the stairs to the lamp-room.

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12y ago

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