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    Lighthouses
    Lighthouses
    Lighthouses
    Ebook160 pages32 minutes

    Lighthouses

    By Victoria Charles

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    About this ebook

    The lighthouse, an indefatigable watchman, ceaselessly guides boats to their ports.This beacon of maritime signalisation has guided sailors since antiquity.The first known lighthouse appeared on the island of Pharos, and was the remarkable Lighthouse of Alexandria; however, it seems that volcanoes like Stromboli and its frequent eruptions were possibly at the origin of this invention, as the fires guided boats to their shores. Faced with the increasing development of modern navigational aids, these lone sentinels do not hold the same functional importance today. However, this work emphasises not only their role as a major architectural development, but also the place that they hold in the cultural heritage of the world. From the Lighthouse of the Whales (France) to the Lighthouse at the End of the World (Tierra del Fuego,Argentina), and passing by the Lighthouse of Green Island (Canada) and the Bell Rock Lighthouse (Scotland), this work invites the reader to rediscover the richness of these witnesses of other times.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherParkstone International
    Release dateDec 31, 2015
    ISBN9781785259289
    Lighthouses

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    • 3/5
      Quick photo album of lighthouses, but I guess the nature of lighthouses does not allow for the same effect as going through the author's book "Bridges".

      --

      El libro consta de imágenes de faros que por su naturaleza no se prestan a belleza indescriptible, pero algunos son interesantes de ver y notar que aunque varios tengan su pinta de arte, siguen siendo y mirándose como faros. Supongo que no tuvo el mismo impacto en mí que si tuvo el libro "Bridges" de la misma autora.

    Book preview

    Lighthouses - Victoria Charles

    ILLUSTRATIONS

    North Koster Lighthouse, 1849.

    Masonry, height: 7 m. North Koster, Sweden.

    INTRODUCTION

    The lighthouse was then a silvery, misty-looking tower with a yellow eye, that opened suddenly, and softly in the evening. – Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse.

    With the increase of technological, navigational mechanisms such as automated buoys in the 1980s, lighthouses are no longer solely depended upon for coastal protection. However, their historical presence must not be overlooked; these beacons of light have protected and marked our shores for centuries.

    The first lighthouse, the Pharos of Alexandria, dates back to the beginning of the 3rd century B.C.E. and was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. This lighthouse was estimated to have led ships into Alexandria for more than 1,500 years. The Latin word pharus derives from the name of the island, Pharos, where it was situated. The use of the Latin root in several romance languages illustrates the importance of its presence in history. In addition to the architectural feat accomplished with the construction of the Pharos of Alexandria, the lighthouse served as propaganda for Ptolemy I, who was eager to impress travellers, thereby establishing himself as the cultural, economic and political power of the city.

    During the expansion of the Roman Empire, several other lighthouses were constructed to mark military or legendary victories, such as the Tower of Hercules in Coruña, Spain (one of the oldest existing lighthouses in the world). However, after the fall of the Roman Empire, the construction of lighthouses virtually stopped and wasn’t revived until the 14th century. During the 17th century, many lighthouses in coastal European communities were overseen by monks in nearby monasteries. As seafaring and navigation became more advanced and prevalent, marine authorities were established to monitor the construction and maintenance of lighthouses. One of the most renowned authorities was the Trinity House in England, which built its first lighthouse in 1609 and went on to control lighthouse construction for all of England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar.

    Several different methods have been used to light these towers over time. In ancient times, they were lit by fires fuelled with coal or wood. From medieval times up until the proliferation of electricity in the 19th century, various forms of lamps were used (often whale oil or kerosene) to keep the beacons bright. Lighthouse keepers traditionally lived on-site, monitoring naval traffic, sounding alarms to warn against storms and taking care of the overall maintenance of the lighthouse to ensure that it was

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