Lighthouses of England and Wales Quiz

Answer: 1514, by charter from Henry VIII

Named for the church that was adjacent to the dockyard, Trinity House is also responsible for radar beacons, fog horns, lightships and other navigational aids for England, Wales, Jersey and Gibraltar.

Answer: St. Anthony's in Cornwall

St. Anthony's lighthouse was built in 1835 and lies at Falmouth Harbor in Cornwall. Its primary function was to assist vessels in navigating the nearby Manacle rocks.

Answer: Tater Du

The "Juan Ferrer" sank at Boscawen point in 1963 with 11 persons lost at sea. The lighthouse was completed in 1965 and has protected this area since that time.

Answer: Berry Head in Devon

Berry Head is at the heart of an unusual natural area that features a number of endangered species of animals and plants. German fighter planes strafed the lighthouse in 1942 leaving only minor damage from bullets. If the spectacular natural surroundings were not enough, there are the ruins of an Iron Age fort nearby.

Answer: Eddystone Light near Plymouth

The first lighthouse at Eddystone was built in 1698 by Henry Winstanley. He was so confident in the sturdiness of his work that he was determined to be in the tower during a storm on 27 November 1703. After the storm subsided, the tower and Winstanley had completely vanished.

The second lighthouse, called Rudyard's, built in 1709, was consumed by fire 2 December 1755. The 94 year old keeper died of lead poisoning from contact with the melting ceiling while fighting the fire. The third building, Smeaton's, built in 1759 became very unstable and was dismantled in 1877.

The current and fourth lighthouse, Douglass's, was erected in 1882.

Answer: Trinity Buoy Wharf

Trinity Buoy Wharf lighthouse was built in 1864 and was once used for lighting trials. No longer functioning as a lighthouse, it houses a fine arts studio.

Answer: St. Catherine's Point on the Isle of Wight

St. Catherine's is on the southernmost point of the Isle of Wight. It was built in 1323 by Walter de Godeton who was threatened with excommunication if he did not perform this act of penance for his part in looting a shipwreck.

Answer: Leasowe in Merseyside

Leasowe began operating in 1908 with Mrs Williams as the keeper. In 1961, the world's first hovercraft operated between this area and Wales.

Answer: Happisburgh in Norfolk

The lighthouse was built in 1790. After Trinity House planned to close this lighthouse to reduce redundancy, the local villagers petitioned to prevent the closure and formed the Happisburgh Lighthouse Trust which now operates this structure.

Answer: Grace Darling

This lighthouse in the Farne Islands, Northumberland was built in 1826. When the "Forfarshire" wrecked on Harker rock 7 September 1838, Grace and her father William Darling, the lighthouse keeper, braved the storm and rescued the passengers and crew. The 23 year old woman became a national heroine for her feat. Grace Darling was born 24 November 1815 and died, unmarried, 20 October 1842 of tuberculosis.

Answer: Bishop Rock on Scilly

The Scilly islands are a small chain off the southwest coast of England and are remarkable for their beautiful scenery and temperate climate. The original Bishop Rock light was built in 1847 but collapsed before it could be finished. The current lighthouse was built in 1858.

Answer: Souter in South Tyneside

Souter was built in 1871 and has been featured on Britain's "Most Haunted" T.V. series.

Answer: La Corbiere, St. Brelade on Jersey

17 April 1995, all 307 passengers and crew of a stranded French ship were rescued. The Jersey islands were occupied by German forces during World War II as was La Corbiere. Built in 1874, the lighthouse is one of the most photographed landmarks on Jersey and appears on the Jersey pound note.

Answer: Smalls near St. David's, Wales

When this lighthouse was built in 1776, the builder, Henry Whiteside, and some of his crew were stranded. They put a message in a bottle which made its way to shore and help was sent. In 1801, after the accidental death of one of the keepers, the other feared that he might be accused of murder if he put the body into the sea so he secured the coffin to the side of the structure.

When the service boat arrived months later, they found that the unfortunate man had gone mad and the rules were changed requiring at least 3 attendants to prevent a similar occurrence in the future.

Answer: Roman lighthouse at Dover

The Romans built two lighthouses at Dover (called Dubris at that time) before 183 C.E. Both were called Pharos and only one now survives. It was used as a bell tower by the adjacent church of St. Mary-in-Castro, which was built in Saxon times.