Lighthouse Clock
Although I've always loved lighthouses, I have not stitched many until now. My love of lighthouses started when I was a child and my favourite books were 'The Five' by Enid Blyton. The main characters were four children and their dog and they had the most wonderful adventures, many of which took place on an island with a lighthouse.
All six lighthouses I stitched for this (future) clock are designed by Remy Ludolphy, a Dutch designer I like very much. She always uses very beautiful colours, and I've already stitched several of her designs.
At the moment I'm working on the design of a map of the province of Almería (Spain) and all the lighthouses of the province.
Lighthouses along the centuries
The first lighthouses were probably built by the Fenitians between 1200 and 300 BC, but the first written records date from the 5th and 6th century BC referring to lighthouses built at the entrances of harbours by the Greeks. Around 290 BC the port of Rodas was said to be guarded by El Coloso, a 40-metre high statue of the God of the Sun, Helios, who helt a fire in his outstretched hand. The statue was destroyed 80 years later during an earthquake and experts still do not agree on the veracity of legend. The most famous lighthouse of the antiquity was a 130-metre high building at the entrance of the Egyptian port of Alexandria. It was built between 299 and 288 BC by Sostratos of Knidos, and a fire was kept burning since the 1st century AD. According to sailors of these days, the fire was visible at a distance of 40 km. This lighthouse was destroyed by an earthquake in 1302.
During the Roman empire, many lighthouses were built along the Mediterranean coast, as well as the Atlantic coasts of Spain and France, up to the English Channel. One of the most famous lighthouse built during this time was the Tower of Hercules in La Coruña, in the north-west of Spain. It was built in the 1st century AD, probably to guide Spanish ships sailing to Ireland, and it is still in use today.
At the end of the Roman empire, around the year 400 AD, there were about 30 lighthouses between the Black Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, but they went out of use until the 12th century. They were not used in order not to guide enemies. However, around the year 700 false lighthouses are mentioned, which were used by pirates in order to sink ships and rob the mercandise.
In the 13th century, a lighthouse was built in the port of Bordeaux, France, as there was an intense commerce of French wines and Spanish leather. The lighthouse was paid for by taxes paid by the ships. This example was soon taken over by other ports. From this time onwards, commerce and travelling were on the increase, and many lighthouses were constructed, both around the Mediterranean and in Northern Europe.
The construction of lighthouses
The ancient lighthouses were basically stone towers with a wood fire burning at the top. In the beginning they were just piles of stones, but later on real towers were built including a staircase to transport combustibles to the top.
During the 16th century, with the increase of sea travelling, the need for lighthouses rose, but too much wood was needed to keep the fires burning. Therefore, they were reemplaced by directed lights using coal and amplifications of the light.
The new lightsources made it possible to build wooden lighthouses, but these could not resist storms as the stone ones. Furthermore, it was necessary to build lighthouses sea-inwards on rocks. John Smeaton, an Englishman, was the first one in the 18th century to use (a primitive kind of) reinforced concrete and cement for the construction of lighthouses, which became the most accepted way to build them until the end of the 19th century.
In the 19th century stone was getting more expensive and lighthouse were starting to get built using steel.
Lighthouse architecture
The basic function of a lighthouse is to illuminate the way for sailors during the night. Therefore, the light should be visible from a great distance and be built high above the water level. Over the centuries architects have tried to give beautiful structures to lighthouses, but very often they were mostly practical and designed by engineers.
A very special lighthouse is the one of Cordouan, France, designed by Louis de Foix in renacentist style. The original building included a residential tower like a French castle, spiral stairs and a small capel. However, during a reconstruction of the lighthouse at the end of the 18th century, the top part was destroyed and replaced by a more functional tower.
In the 19th century wooden residence-lighthouses were built in which the lighthouse was integrated in the residence.
Modern lighthouses often include a helicopter platform, especially those built in sea.
The world's lighthouse encyclopedia http://welcome.to/theworldslighthouses
Lighthouses in x-stitch http://www.treetrunk.com/welcome/index.html
Lighthouse Central http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Backdrop/4060
