Editing Leasowe Lighthouse

{{Use British English|date=August 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Short description|Disused lighthouse in Leasowe, Wirral, England}}
{{Infobox lighthouse
| shape = Cylindrical tower with balcony and removed lantern
}}
'''Leasowe Lighthouse''' is an historic [[lighthouse]] in [[Moreton, Merseyside|Moreton]] on the [[Wirral Peninsula]] in [[Merseyside]], [[England]].<ref>{{Cite rowlett|engnw|accessdate=2016-05-02}}</ref> The lighthouse was built in 1763 by The Mersey Docks and Harbour Company to guide shipping safely to the [[Port of Liverpool]] and is the oldest lighthouse built from bricks in the [[United Kingdom]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.wirral.gov.uk/sites/default/files/all/Leisure%20parks%20and%20events/beaches%20and%20countryside/3WCT%20-%20North%20Wirral%20Coast.pdf |title=Info |website=www.wirral.gov.uk |page=16}}</ref> The lighthouse became obsolete and was closed in 1908. The last lighthouse keeper was a Mrs. Williams, the only known female lighthouse keeper of the period.

==History==

An [[Act of Parliament]] passed in 1761 allowed the Liverpool Docks Trustees to build four lighthouses. Two were built at [[Moreton, Merseyside|Moreton]]. These were the Upper Mockbeggar Light and Lower Mockbeggar Light.<ref name="mycetes.co.uk1">{{cite web|url=http://www.mycetes.co.uk/a/page66.html|title=Lighthouse Compendium|website=www.mycetes.co.uk}}</ref> When lined up, these allowed for safe passage through "Rock Channel" to the [[Port of Liverpool]].<ref name="auto1">{{citation|url=http://www.wirral.gov.uk/LGCL/100006/200073/670/content_0001020.html|title=Leasowe Lighthouse|publisher=Metropolitan Borough of Wirral|access-date=14 January 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927004952/http://www.wirral.gov.uk/LGCL/100006/200073/670/content_0001020.html|archive-date=27 September 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref> 
The former is now known as Leasowe Lighthouse, while the latter was built one quarter of a mile into the sea and was destroyed by a storm in 1769,<ref name="wirralhistory.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.wirralhistory.com/lighthouse.html|title=Leasowe Lighthouse|website=www.wirralhistory.com|access-date=8 August 2018|archive-date=14 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190414182655/http://www.wirralhistory.com/lighthouse.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> with its replacement, Bidston Lighthouse, built in 1771 on [[Bidston Hill]].<ref name="mycetes.co.uk1" /> The other two lighthouses permitted by the Act were built at [[Hoylake]] (the name ''Hoylake'' was derived from ''Hoyle Lake'', the name of a channel of water between [[Hilbre Island]] and Dove Point, [[Meols]]<ref name="Pictures From The Past: Book 3">{{cite book|last1=Young|first1=Derek|last2=Young|first2=Marian|title=Pictures From The Past: A unique collection of photographs of old Hoylake, Meols and West Kirby|year=1984|asin=B001KA5LEY|asin-tld=co.uk}}</ref>) to facilitate safe access into the Hoyle Lake anchorage.<ref>{{cite book|title=Lighthouses of Liverpool Bay |first1=John |last1=Robinson |first2=Diane |last2=Robinson |publisher=[[The History Press]] |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7524-4209-9}}</ref> Protected by a wide [[sandbank]] known as Hoyle Bank and with a water depth of about 20 feet, it provided a safe [[anchor]]age for ships.<ref name="Hoylake History">{{citation|url=http://www.hoylakegolfopen.co.uk/id13.html|title=Hoylake History|website=HoylakeAndWestKirby.com|access-date=23 December 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071208195738/http://www.hoylakegolfopen.co.uk/id13.html |archive-date = 8 December 2007}}</ref>

Leasowe Lighthouse was in use until 14 July 1908;<ref name="auto1"/> by this time, the sand banks had shifted so much that Rock Channel was barely navigable, rendering the lighthouse obsolete.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bidstonlighthouse.org.uk/lines-of-sight/|title=Lines of Sight – Bidston Lighthouse|date=2 April 2014}}</ref> The lighthouse was a place of work and also a home.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leasowelighthouse.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=44|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808140855/http://www.leasowelighthouse.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=44|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 August 2018|title=Leasowe Lighthouse|website=www.leasowelighthouse.co.uk}}</ref> The last [[lighthouse keeper]] was a Mrs. Williams, the only known female lighthouse keeper in this period.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hype-merseyside.co.uk/leasowe-lighthouse/|title=Leasowe Lighthouse History – HYPE Merseyside|website=hype-merseyside.co.uk|access-date=8 August 2018|archive-date=8 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808171437/http://hype-merseyside.co.uk/leasowe-lighthouse/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Upon its closure as a lighthouse, Williams moved into a cottage but kept the lighthouse open as a [[tearoom]] during the summer months. In 1930, the lighthouse was bought by the Wallasey Corporation, in 1935 Williams died and the building was closed.<ref name="archive.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.wirral.gov.uk/LGCL/100006/200073/670/content_0001020.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927004952/http://www.wirral.gov.uk/LGCL/100006/200073/670/content_0001020.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 September 2007|title=Leasowe Lighthouse|date=27 September 2007}}</ref> The lighthouse was listed as a historic Grade II building with [[Historic England]] in 1952.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1259738|title=Leasowe Lighthouse, Wirral – 1259738- Historic England|first=Historic|last=England|website=historicengland.org.uk}}</ref> A period of disrepair ensued and the lighthouse became derelict. It was then restored by a community group called "The Friends of Leasowe Lighthouse".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldwidelighthouses.com/Lighthouses/English-Lighthouses/Privately-Owned/Leasowe|title=Leasowe Lighthouse – Worldwide Lighthouses|first=Worldwide|last=Lighthouses|website=www.worldwidelighthouses.com}}</ref>

==Construction==

The lighthouse is a tapering cylindrical design that is one hundred and one feet tall with cavity walls that are several feet thick and a plain balcony.<ref name="auto"/> The construction used 660,000 hand-made bricks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/10474520.Step_back_in_time_to_celebrate_Leasowe_Lighthouse_s_250th_anniversary/ |title=Step back in time to celebrate Leasowe Lighthouse's 250th anniversary|website=Wirral Globe}}</ref> It has seven floors. The original wooden staircase was replaced in 1898,<ref name="wirralhistory.com"/> with one made of cast iron that has one hundred and thirty steps.<ref name="archive.org"/> The light was originally coal-fired, but in 1772 changed to oil burning.<ref name="mycetes.co.uk1"/> [[Robert Stevenson (civil engineer)|Robert Stevenson]] said in 1801, while on his lighthouse tour, that the tower had "one reflector of silvered glass 7½ feet in diameter and 13 inches focal distance".<ref name="mycetes.co.uk1"/> Later, in 1861, it was reportedly equipped with eight [[Argand lamp]]s and [[parabolic reflectors|reflectors]]. It was staffed by a keeper and an assistant, who resided in the tower.<ref name="RC1861">{{cite web | title = Lighthouse management : the report of the Royal Commissioners on Lights, Buoys, and Beacons, 1861, examined and refuted Vol. 2 | pages = 328–329 | url = https://archive.org/stream/lighthousemanage02blak#page/328/mode/2up }}</ref>

==Location==
 [[File:The pathway along Mockbeggar Wharf, Leasowe (geograph 3786719).jpg|thumb|right|200px|The footpath at Mockbeggar Wharf approaching Leasowe Lighthouse]]		
The lighthouse is on [[Moreton, Merseyside|Moreton]] Common near Mockbeggar Wharf.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hiehoylake.com/leasowe-lighthouse|title=Leasowe Lighthouse – Art & Culture Hoylake – Explore Wirral|website=www.hiehoylake.com|access-date=8 August 2018|archive-date=8 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808171654/http://www.hiehoylake.com/leasowe-lighthouse|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Wharf takes its name from ''Mockbeggar Hall'', which is an alternative name for the nearby [[Leasowe Castle]]. The area is in the [[North Wirral Coastal Park]] and used for recreational purposes such as walking and bird watching.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ww2.rspb.org.uk/groups/Liverpool/places/345649/|title=Liverpool Local Group|publisher=The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds|access-date=8 August 2018|archive-date=8 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808171628/http://ww2.rspb.org.uk/groups/Liverpool/places/345649/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Facilities==

The lighthouse is a community facility that is used as a location for numerous activities and is used by the ranger service of the North Wirral Coastal Park.<ref name="Birkenhead - An Illustrated History">{{citation|title=The Wirral ~ Photographic Memories|first=Jim|last=Rubery|pages=42|year=2003|isbn=1-85937-517-0}}</ref> It is used for charity [[abseil]]ing events and [[paranormal]] visits, as well as for a meeting place for running groups. It has also been used by film and television companies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.leasowelighthouse.com/category/activites/|title=Leasowe Lighthouse|website=www.leasowelighthouse.com}}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The lighthouse has a small visitor centre and is a focal location on the North Wirral Coastal Park.<ref name="archive.org"/> It is open on the first and third Sunday of every month for visits.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.visitwirral.com/whats-on/leasowe-lighthouse-open-days-p44225|title=Leasowe Lighthouse Open Days – Participatory Event in Moreton, Wirral – Visit Wirral|website=www.visitwirral.com|access-date=8 August 2018|archive-date=8 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808171513/https://www.visitwirral.com/whats-on/leasowe-lighthouse-open-days-p44225|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==References==
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{{commonscat|Leasowe Lighthouse}}

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[[Category:Lighthouses in England]]
[[Category:Lighthouse museums in England]]
[[Category:Grade II listed lighthouses]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Merseyside]]