|
|---|
back - Godrevy Lighthouse |
||
Virginia Woolf was not the first writer to be inspired by the beauty of Godrevy (To The Lighthouse was actually based upon the Godrevy Island) and its lighthouse many others have also found inspiration from this quiet peaceful retreat. Before the lighthouse was built there was a different story, the story of mans fight not only for his precious cargos but also his life. Many vessels and lives were lost at Godrevy, this is a brief account to why the lighthouse was built. Within the parish and churchtown village of Gwithian there are reminders of the stormy past, renovation of old houses can reveal ships' timbers, used to span a doorway or fireplace opening. Until an Act was passed in the early 19th century there was no obligation to give a Christian burial to anonymous victims of shipwrecks found drowned on the shore, most were interred above the beach and from time to time such lonely and nameless skeletons are revealed in the sand dunes. November 1854 saw the loss of of the 700-ton steamer "The Nile" with the loss of all hands despite being of sturdy build and with a captain of great experience she failed to clear the reef - bodies were later washed ashore and references can be seen in the parish register. The disaster caused public outcry, pressure began with applications to Trinity House from major Cornish ports for a light to be situated at Godrevy, this was later sanctioned on Godrevy Island. On the 16th Jan 1857 a notice appeared in local papers asking for tenders to build the lighthouse.
|
||||||
|