-
What Does a Lighthouse Mean to You?
When you think of a lighthouse, what comes to mind? For some, it might be lighthouse keepers, shipwrecks and stormy nights at sea, or perhaps a foghorn which used to keep them up at night. For others, a lighthouse might be somewhere they walk the dog, somewhere they visited as a child, a familiar landmark…
-
The Travelling Pharology Archive Comes to Harwich
On 15 and 16 August, the Travelling Pharology Archive made its second public appearance, this time at Harwich Maritime Museum. Set beside the historic Low Lighthouse, it was a particularly fitting place to continue testing the Archive. Across the weekend, visitors explored stories connected to lighthouse and maritime heritage, from Henry Winstanley and the Eddystone…
-
The Travelling Pharology Archive Makes Its Debut
This weekend saw the first outing of the Travelling Pharology Archive, Lighthouse Explorers’ community-generated collection of lighthouse stories, memories and heritage. Our debut took place in a very special setting. We were on the first floor of the lighthouse at Trinity Buoy Wharf, right next to the home of Longplayer. If you’ve never experienced Longplayer,…
-
Contributions Are Now Open for the Travelling Pharology Archive
After many months of planning, research, and ethical review, I am delighted to announce that contributions are now open for the Travelling Pharology Archive! The Archive forms part of my research in Cultural Heritage Studies at University College London (UCL), where I am exploring the question: How can a community-generated travelling lighthouse archive contribute to…
-
Updates on Group Trips, the Travelling Archive, and other such matters
Hello everyone, It has been quite a while since my last blog post and for that I need to apologise. Life has been exceptionally busy recently, and although I have been meaning to sit down and write an update for months, there always seemed to be another deadline which I need to attend to! So,…
-
The first lighthouse group trip of 2026
You are cordially invited to the third year of Lighthouse Explorers’ group trips… for which we now have the first date and location!
-
Our Final Group Trip of 2025: Trinity Buoy Wharf Lighthouse
On the 12th of October, we had our final group trip of 2025. This marked our sixth outing of the year and our ninth lighthouse visit together overall. Back in June, six of us climbed the gorgeous Southwold Lighthouse. At the time, we still had two more trips planned. Spirits were high that day; what…
-
The final chance to join the 2025 group trips
Our last group trip was Southwold lighthouse at the end of June. At the time, I had no idea that there would be no more trips over the next few months. Spurn Point and Tynemouth were firmly set in the diary, for July and August respectively. Unfortunately, storms then hit the north east of England.…
-
Why you should volunteer at Leasowe Lighthouse
When you walk up to Leasowe Lighthouse on the windswept Wirral coast, it feels almost timeless. Built in 1763, it’s Britain’s oldest brick-built lighthouse. It’s also been out of use for over 100 years; it’s light was extinguished in 1908. Currently, a team of dedicated volunteers called ‘The Friends of Leasowe Lighthouse’ keep the metaphorical…
-
Lighthouse Keeper Interview Transcript (Gerry Butler)
Earlier this week I released ‘The Joys of Lighthouse Keeping‘, an interview with ex-lighthouse keeper, Gerry Butler. This is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. If podcasts aren’t your cup of tea, the transcript is below. Enjoy! Introducing Gerry: ex-lighthouse keeper, and current caretaker of Galley Head Lighthouse Annie: I was fortunate enough to get…