Lighthouses

While the idea behind the lighthouse was a practical one there's just something elusive about them which fascinate many people, including me.

What is it About Lighthouses?

I've been fascinated with the romantic idea of living in a lighthouse since I was a young child and first heard the story of Grace Darling. These days I still love the idea of living in a lighthouse and going to slep with the sound of the sea crashing down on the rocks below.

As a writer I love the idea of solitude, but as a mum I know that our family are much better suited living where we are and merely visiting lighthouses on occasion.

I live near a small lighthouse called Cleveland Point Lighthouse or Point Cleveland Lighthouse which is pictured opposite.

If you're asking yourself - will she eleaborate on the story of Grace Darling then I'll do so just for you, if you know the story already feel free to jump over the grey section below.

Cleveland Lighthouse Postcard

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Grace Darling

Victorian Heroine

The story I remember is that Grace Darling was a young girl who lived in a lighthouse with her father and one night during a bad storm she saw a ship in trouble on the rocks. She raced out and rowed a boat out to save people who were on the ship and became a heroine.

The actual story is a little bit different - she wasn't a young girl (who I had imagined to be just like myself at the time!), but a young lady of about 23. She lived in the Longstone Lighthouse with her father who was the lighthouse keeper. One particularly wild night the ship Forfarshire was wrecked and she (or her father) spotted the wreck and some survivors from the window.

The sea was considered too rough for the lifeboat to be sent from a nearby port so Grace and her father set out in a rowing boat to get the survivors (which makes much more sense than her going by herself!). They rescued five people from the shipwreck, the other people that had been on board, including two young children all perished at sea.

I loved my own version of the story as it made me believe that I could do anything, but the 'real' story does make a lot more sense as what father would really let his daughter go out rowing in a sea like the one opposite alone?

Longstone Lighthouse in Rough Sea

Grace Darling's Home

Longstone Lighthouse with R...

Poster

Lighthouses & Why They Fascinate Us

I'm not the only person who's fascinated by lighthouses there's quite a few of us about you know, but I'm still not sure what it is about these buildings that make us love looking at lighthouses, their pictures or anything lighthouse related.

A lady that I've 'met' online actually takes holidays to visit lighthouses and luckily for us she takes gorgeous photographs as well.

She actually sells her gorgeous lighthouse pictures through a print on demand company called Zazzle and I've included some of her images below.


Grafton, IL Lighthouse Frid... Price info	South Haven Lighthouse Magnet Price info	Cockspur Island Lighthouse ... Price info

Aren't they gorgeous? They're available on a number of different products, I've just featured magnets here because everyone needs a good fridge magnet or two don't they?