Wednesday, July 5 2023, was the 75th birthday of the NHS. There was much made of it in the media for good reason but however much it is celebrated, pay for nurses is still an ongoing issue, Yet, when in the hospital and in need, with all the problems around the NHS, the nurses and doctors, at every level, do their utmost for the patients and often go way beyond their expected duties.
Well, Dungeness showed their appreciation by lighting up ‘The Old Lighthouse’ in the evening. People arrived early by car and the little steam train through the marshes to get a good view and used the café which kept open especially for this event.
Expectations grew as the sun slowly sank behind the clouds, leaving a dramatic sky. Nobody knew exactly what to expect next but at about 9:30pm the lower part of the lighthouse was lit in blue and to make it more dramatic, a police car, just there for security, played a part by driving their car next to the lighthouse and using their lights to create an even better impact and light effect of the lower part of the building. Before the evening, the lighthouse shop was open. It had the most impressive curve of mirrors as we walked in, being able to see individuals manifold. What is notable at these events is that it creates a community spirit and fun.
‘The Old Lighthouse’ offers unique and perfect views over 500 cuspate shingle ridges that have formed the foreland over centuries. However, first you have to climb 169 steps up to the viewing point.
By the end of the medieval period the ridges had reached the English Channel and had become a lethal and dangerous shipping hazard. During the 16th century, the number and size of the ships became much larger. During one winter gale over 1,000 sailors lost their lives and much valuable cargo sank with them.
The first lighthouse was a simple wooden structure, 35 feet high with an open coal fire on top and was licensed to private ownership by James 1 in August 1615. Over time, the sea continually retreated as the shingle bank grew. A second brick lighthouse was constructed around 1635, 110 feet high which lasted over 100 years but eventually was not enough to give light to poor visibility at sea. Several more were built and it was the fifth building which had automatic lighting, making the fourth one, ‘The Old Lighthouse’, obsolete, becoming a tourist attraction and museum.
Dungeness has a very interesting history and as well as the lighthouses includes the little train station on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway line (RH&DR), former railway carriages reconstructed and converted into homes and now with the added attraction of having a tasty fish shack.
Image Credits: Heidi Foster .