Black Nore Lighthouse
was built on a coastal outcrop at Portishead by Trinity House in 1894. Its purpose was to be a navigation aid for shipping heading for the port of Avonmouth or the River Avon. There is no vehicular access to it – the lighthouse can only be accessed via the coastal footpath. Links to the coastal footpath at Black Nore are available at the junction of Glenwood Rise & Nore Road and at the northern end of the cul-de-sac called Pinecroft.
Despite its name the lighthouse is painted white. It is 11 metres high, is made of riveted cast iron and has six legs. The outcrop on which it was constructed was built up with masonry to form a platform. There is a ladder underneath it, which leads up to an entrance hatch. Its lamp was originally powered by gas. The mechanism had to be wound every day and this task was undertaken by members of the Ashford family, who lived nearby at Black Nore Farm. The light was converted to electricity and automated in 1941, so that it could be switched off during air raids. The winding and drive mechanisms were replaced by an electric motor in 2000.
The lighthouse was decommissioned by Trinity House on 27th September 2010 and the internal mechanism was removed. It was sold to a community interest company in October 2011 for £1. They have pledged to keep it as a monument on the coast for everyone to enjoy. It has been a grade II listed building since June 2011.
Flat Holm Lighthouse
The closest working Trinity House lighthouse to North Somerset is the one on Flat Holm. Its light has a range of 15 nautical miles and can therefore be seen from the North Somerset coast.
Flat Holm lighthouse was built by William Crispe of Bristol in 1737 and operated as a private lighthouse paid for by tolls from passing ships. It was lit by a coal brazier until 1820 when that was replaced by an oil burning lamp. It was taken over by Trinity House in 1823. In 1881 the lamp was replaced by an occulting light run by a clockwork mechanism. It was converted to electricity in 1969 and solar power in 1997. A compressed air foghorn was built in 1908 and this was in use until the lighthouse was automated in 1988. More information about Flat Holm Lighthouse can be found on the Trinity House website: http://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/lighthouses/lighthouse_list/flatholm.html
There is a smaller navigation light on the end of Battery Point on the north-west edge of Portishead owned by the Bristol Port Company. The deep water channel known as King Road passes very close to the coast at this point, as can be seen in the photo below:
