Point of Ayr Lighthouse

This article is about the lighthouse in North Wales. For the lighthouse on the Isle of Man, see Point of Ayre Lighthouse.

Point of Ayr Lighthouse
Talacre Lighthouse

Point of Ayr lighthouse, at Talacre beach
Location	Talacre Wales United Kingdom
OS grid	SJ 121 853
Coordinates	53°21′25″N3°19′20″W / 53.357044°N 3.322174°W / 53.357044; -3.322174
Tower
Constructed	1776
Construction	brick tower
Height	18 metres (59 ft)
Shape	tapered cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markings	white tower, black lantern, red lantern dome
Heritage	Grade II listed building, National Monuments of Wales
Light
Deactivated	1844

The Point of Ayr Lighthouse, also known as the Talacre Lighthouse, is a Grade II listed building situated on the north coast of Wales, on the Point of Ayr, near the village of Talacre. ^{[1] [2]}

Chester Lighthouse Act 1776
Act of Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
Long title	An Act for erecting a Lighthouse or Lighthouses, and Land Marks, in or near the Port of Chester; and for placing Buoys upon the Banks and Shoals leading into and in the said Port; and for regulating of Pilots and Persons towing or tracking of Vessels to and from the City of Chester; and for fixing the Rates payable for the same respectively.
Citation	16 Geo. 3. c. 61
Territorial extent	Great Britain
Dates
Royal assent	21 May 1776
Commencement	26 October 1775 [a]
Other legislation
Amended by	Pilotage Orders Confirmation (No. 2) Act 1922
Status: Amended
Text of statute as originally enacted

History

It was authorised by the Chester Lighthouse Act 1776 (16 Geo. 3. c. 61) and built in 1776 ^[3] by a trust of the Mayor, Recorder and Aldermen of Chester to warn ships entering between the Dee and the Mersey Estuary. It was replaced by a pile light and was decommissioned in 1844. ^[4] It is now a privately owned property.

The lighthouse was listed for sale in 2011 ^[5] by then owner James McAllister, along with two acres of land, for £100,000. It was eventually sold in April 2012 for £90,000 ^[6] to a private couple who continue to own the property. Two alleged incidents have been reported by Wales Online. ^[5]

The Keeper

In 2009, the BBC ^[7] reported that planning permission had been sought to erect a "human sculpture" inspired by the reported ghostly sightings on the lighthouse balcony. This application was made by then owner James McAllister who intended it to serve as a "serious art installation". Local artist Angela Smith ^[8] was contracted to design the 7 foot stainless steel ‘lighthouse keeper’ with the initial planning permission being approved for a three-year period. Permission was not sought to retain the structure after this point and the sculpture was relocated.

Drone video of lighthouse

In 2007 the lighthouse was damaged by storms ^[9] which resulted in the metal steps leading to the building becoming dislocated and also resulted structural damage with a hole being created in the base according to the BBC. The cost of repairs was covered by the owners of a local caravan park who were involved in the ownership of the lighthouse at the time. The lighthouse featured in the background in a 2011 TV advertisement ^[10] by paint manufacturer Dulux. The advertisement was designed to mark the 50th anniversary of the first appearance of their Old English Sheepdog mascot.

See also

• Wales portal
• Engineering portal

• List of lighthouses in Wales

Notes

1. Start of session.

References

1. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Wales". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . Retrieved 3 June 2016.
2. Point of Ayr Lighthouse Wales Directory. Retrieved 3 June 2016
3. "Talacre Beach". Discover Flintshire. Flintshire Tourism Association. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
4. Douglas Bland Hague (1994). Hughes, Stephen (ed.). Lighthouses of Wales: Their Architecture and Archaeology. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. pp. 40–41. ISBN   978-1-871184-08-2.
5. "Yours for £100,000: the haunted lighthouse with great views and a resident ghost". Wales Online. Media Wales LTD. 4 November 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
6. "Landmark Flintshire lighthouse sold". Daily Post. Trinity Mirror Merseyside. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
7. "Permanent 'ghost' for lighthouse". BBC. BBC. 5 August 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
8. "Sculpture honours Talacre lighthouse ghost". Daily Post. Trinity Mirror Merseyside. 23 June 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
9. "Storms damage historic lighthouse". BBC. BBC. 28 March 2007. Retrieved 28 March 2007.
10. Boyd, Andrew. "Paint dog's comeback at popular tourist site". Leader Live. NWN Media. Archived from the original on 20 April 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2011.