U.S. Lighthouse Society ~ Lighthouses of the United Kingdom
Caldey Island Lighthouse
A NON-PROFIT HISTORICAL & EDUCATIONAL SOCIETY U.S. Lighthouse Society ~ Lighthouses of the United Kingdom
History
Caldey Island lies about 3 miles off the south coast of Pembrokeshire facing the town and harbor of Tenby. it is 1½ miles long and less that ¾ mile wide.
In 1131 the island was donated to the Benedictine monks from the Abbey of Tiron in France. In 1536 the monks were expelled from the island and it was not until 1906 that an Anglican Benedictine brotherhood bought the island and erected the present monastery. In the early 1920ʹs it was sold to the Order of the Reformed Cistercians.
On the summit of the island, not far from the old Priory, stands the lighthouse which was erected by Trinity House in 1829 at a cost of £3,380 11s 7d. On either side of the tower and connected to it are two dwellings which were occupied by the keepers and their families prior to the conversion of the station to automatic unmanned operation in 1927.
Caldey lighthouse was the last Trinity House lighthouse to be powered by acetylene gas until its modernization which was completed in November 1997 when it was converted to mains electricity.
A NON-PROFIT HISTORICAL & EDUCATIONAL SOCIETY U.S. Lighthouse Society ~ Lighthouses of the United Kingdom
Specifications
Established 1829
Height Of Tower 16 Metres
Height Of Light Above Mean High 65 Metres Water
Automated 1927
Optic 2nd Order 700 Mm Catadioptric
Lamp 50 WATT Halogen Lamp
Character White And Red Group Flash Three Times Every 20 Seconds
Intensity White 5010 Candela, Red 939 Candela
Range Of Light White 13 nautical miles; red 9 nautical miles
A NON-PROFIT HISTORICAL & EDUCATIONAL SOCIETY