Hartland Point

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Hartland Point

Hartland Point is a high rocky outcrop of land on the northwestern tip of the Devon

Devon

Devon is a large Counties of England in South West England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name, rarely used inside of the county but often indicating a shire....
coast in England

England

Hartland, Devon

The town of Hartland, which incorporates the hamlet of Stoke to the west and the village of Meddon in the south, is not the most north-westerly settlement in the county of Devon, England....
. The point marks the western limit (on the English side) of the Bristol Channel

Bristol Channel

The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England, and extending from the lower Severn Estuary of the River Severn to that part of the North Atlantic Ocean known as the Celtic Sea ....
with the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions; with a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres . It covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface....
continuing to the west. This location was known to the Romans as the "promontory of Hercules".

lass="link1" onMouseover='showByLink("m6546176",this)' onMouseout='hide("m6546176")'href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Trinity_House">Trinity House

Trinity House

The Corporation of Trinity House is the official General Lighthouse Authority for England, Wales and other British territorial waters . It is responsible for the provision and maintenance of navigational aids such as lighthouses, lightvessels, buoys and maritime radio/satellite communication systems....
, the lighthouse authority for England

England

Wales

native_name = Cymru|conventional_long_name = Wales|common_name = Wales|image_flag = Flag of Wales 2.svg|national_motto = ...
, have a lighthouse on the tip of the peninsula.

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Encyclopedia

Hartland Point is a high rocky outcrop of land on the northwestern tip of the Devon

Devon

England

Hartland, Devon

Bristol Channel

Atlantic Ocean

Lighthouse

Trinity House

England

Wales

native_name = Cymru|conventional_long_name = Wales|common_name = Wales|image_flag = Flag of Wales 2.svg|national_motto = ...
, have a lighthouse on the tip of the peninsula. Built in 1874 under the direction of Sir James Douglass

James Nicholas Douglass

Sir James Nicholas Douglass, Fellow of the Royal Society, , was an England civil engineer, a prolific lighthouse builder and designer, most famous for the design and construction of the fourth Eddystone Lighthouse....
, the tower is 18 m tall with the lamp being 37 m above mean sea level. It was blessed by Frederick Temple

Frederick Temple

Frederick Temple was an English academic, teacher, churchman and Archbishop of Canterbury from 1896 until his death....
, Bishop of Exeter

Bishop of Exeter

The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The incumbent usually signs his name as Exoniensis or incorporates this in his signature....
, who later became Archbishop of Canterbury

Archbishop of Canterbury

The Archbishop of Canterbury is the chief bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the Diocesan Bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury, the Episcopal see that churches must be in communion with in order to be a part of the Anglican Communion....
. The tower was automated in 1984 and is now controlled from Trinity House Operations Centre at Harwich

Harwich

Harwich is a town in Essex, England and one of the Haven ports, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. It is in the Tendring district....
in Essex

Essex

Essex is a counties of England in the East of England England. The county town is Chelmsford, and the highest point of the county is Chrishall Common near the village of Langley, Essex, close to the Hertfordshire border, which reaches ....
. Prior to automation the lighthouse was built with accommodation for four keepers and their families. The keepers' dwellings have since been demolished to make room for a Helipad

Helipad

The word helipad is a portmanteau word meaning helicopter landing pad, a landing area for helicopters. Though helicopters can usually land anywhere flat, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard surface away from obstacles where a helicopter can land....
to be constructed. This was necessary due to the precarious nature of the access road which is liable to frequent rock falls and landslips. Vehicular access is now very difficult and the gates tend to remain locked. The large concrete structures immediately to the south of the lighthouse were to provide the keepers with fresh water.

Characteristics

Light	White group flashing six times every fifteen seconds
Fog horn	One five-second blast every minute

The light can be seen up to away from the coast.

Coastguard

HM Coastguard maintain a small station on the top of the point near the lighthouse. This is now normally unmanned.

The South West Coast Path

South West Coast Path

The South West Coast Path is Britain's longest waymarked Long-distance footpaths in the UK and a National Trails . It stretches for , running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harbour in Dorset....
was formerly an aid to the Coastguard who needed to be able to travel from station to station on foot while being able to keep an eye on the sea to spot for smuggler

SMUGGLER

Smuggler is a production company founded in 2002 by Patrick Milling Smith and Brian Carmody. Last year Smuggler launched Honeyshed, which appeared at the Sundance Festival where the short film Force 1, created for eBay, was a selection....
s. The path stays close to the edge of the cliffs on its journey through Hartland Point and it is an ideal way to explore the point, its landmarks and the scenery.

Radar Station

The UK's Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)

The Ministry of Defence is the Departments of the United Kingdom Government responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
have a radar station installed on the point and controlled from nearby RAF Hartland Point. This is used for air traffic control of both military and civilian aircraft. The unusual white-dome-topped structure can be seen from distances of up to from the point.

MS Johanna

On 31 December 1982 the Panama-registered, Dutch owned MS Johanna was driven aground on rocks less than 400 m from the lighthouse during strong gales. The cargo ship was carrying wheat

Wheat

Wheat , is a worldwide cultivated Poaceae from the Levant region of the Middle East. Globally, after maize, wheat is the second most-produced food among the cereal just above rice....
from The Netherlands up the Bristol Channel

Bristol Channel

Cardiff

Cardiff is the Capital , largest city and most populous Unitary authority#Wales in Wales. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for many national cultural and sport institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of Welsh Assembly Government ....
. Four of the crew were rescued by a helicopter from RAF Chivenor. Three officers were taken off later in the day by the RNLI lifeboat from Clovelly

Clovelly

Clovelly is a village on the north Devon coast, England, about twelve miles west of Bideford. It is a major tourist attraction, famous for its history and beauty, its extremely steep car-free Cobblestone main street, donkeys, and its location looking out over the Bristol Channel....
. The decaying remains of the hull can still be seen.