Author(s): Nicholas Leach

History

All civilizations have faced the challenges and dangers of trading by sea: storms, bad weather, and the hazards of cliffs, headlands, reefs and sandbanks, threatening their safe passage into ports and harbors. Lighthouses have long been a necessity, supported by lights and daymarks, to help guide vessels home. Here Nicholas Leach presents the story of the lighthouse, and its development, from the earliest lights, through the 19th century era of lighthouse building to the modern aids to navigation across the British Isles and Europe.