Island Lighthouses

 

2004: Migrating Birds - Passerines

One of our earliest summer visitors, usually arriving in March, flying past Alderney Lighthouse. The Sand Martins will also be one of the first to leave and head south in September. No winter storms for these birds...

2016: Seasons

St Peter Port Harbour Lighthouse

2016: Lighthouses

The tiny island of Sark lighthouse at Point Robert, now automated, but when all lighthouses were manned perhaps

2014: The History of Manx Playing Cards

they would while away the time playing cards although a lone keeper would have to rely on a game of Patience. The playing card shows Bradda Head Lighthouse located on the Isle of Man's coastal footpath and Douglas Lighthouse with the ferry either making its way to England or Ireland.

Sunday Stamps is keeping a watch for Lighthouses at See It On A Postcard

Harbour Lights

 

1968: Centenary of Esbjerg Harbour (Design - M Stage; Engraver - Cz Slania)

This harbour light has seen many changes in 100 years, Esbjerg was once home to 600 fishing vessels but in contrast today it is one of the world's largest shipping ports for wind turbines.

1987: Views

Sailing in Havelet Bay, I think the harbour light in the background is the approach into St Peter Port

2003: Europa: Six Decades of Tourism Poster Art

which could be this one which featured on a 2002 poster when Guernsey Tourism's theme was 'Naturally Guernsey'

1986: Tourism Series

The cancel hides the attractiveness of Calella Lighthouse (inaugurated in 1859) which can be seen here, although one of our number will know this already.

Sunday Stamps theme this week is - Lighthouses - See It On A Postcard

Lighthouses

See It On a Postcard's  Thursday Postcard Hunt is on the watch for Lighthouses...

Le phare de la Vieille et la pointe du Raz

One mile west of the Pointe du Raz is possibly France's most photographed and famous lighthouse in the turbulent seas off Finistere, France's westernmost point.  It takes it name from the rock it stands on La Vieille and there are a lot of rocks unseen under the water adding to the danger of this stretch of water.. The lighthouse has been operational since 1887 and replaced the one seen in the distance in the photograph

Christmas at Walney Lighthouse

.A lighthouse you don't need a boat to get to on Walney Island (there is a bridge).  This is my local lighthouse and its claim to fame is that was the last one in England to be automated (2003) and was home to the only female Principal Keeper of a lighthouse in the country.

"Lost at Walney Lighthouse" Artist - John Duffin

 Here is an artist view. I always try and pick up John Duffin's postcards when he has a local exhibition but last time discovered I had more versions than were on sale😄

Lighthouse Views

 

1996: Cats

A room with a view although the cat has only eyes for a butterfly

1989: 50th Anniversary of Guernsey Airport

Meanwhile a Supermarine Southampton Flying Boat is at rest in Guernsey by the harbour light. 201Squadron is one of the oldest squadrons in the RAF being formed in 1914 but disbanded in 1918. It was reformed in 1929 when it became affiliated to Guernsey, at the time operating the Southampton Flying Boat, a neat tie in with this airport set.

1996: 20th Anniversary of RAMOGE

A Mediterranean lighthouse features on this stamp. The Ramoge Agreement on Environment Protection of the Mediterranean  (RAMOGE) is a tri-country agreement between France, Monaco and Italy

2007-2008 : Flag - Lighthouses

And lastly a colour coordinated trip around Canada. 

Top - Cap des Rosiers, Quebec and Warren Landing, Manitoba built in 1908

Bottom -  Pachena Point, British Columbia. A dangerous stretch of the western coastline, the lighthouse is on Vancouver Island and the BC Tourism site lists it as one of the top 5 "stunning lighthouses in British Columbia". Lastly the 1758 Sambro Island Lighthouse at the entrance to Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia, the oldest surviving lighthouse in Northern America.

Sunday Stamps theme this week - Lighthouses -  visit  See It On A Postcard

E to Europe

 

2001: Fabulous Hats - Butterfly Hat by Dai Rees

Although Royal Mail have for many years used non value indicators (NVI) for internal mail they had a brief experiment using E for European postage which I think started in 2001 and ran for a few years. Post to Europe was 36 pence in 2001 but as the stamp is valued for a task not a price it can still be used today when the cost is £1.85

2003: Extreme Endeavors (Design - Howard Brown)

Freya Stark in a more practical 'hat' takes you to to Europe and beyond  in her wonderful books.

2004: Royal Horticultural Society

Climbing rather than travelling - Clamatis 'Arabella'

2021: Calf of Man 70th Anniversary Manx National Trust

The Isle of Man use EU for their European postage but not all sets are NVI some are priced.

2017: Bailiwick Lighthouses

 

Guernsey NVIs only appear on their machine stamps. Going one letter further - EUR

The exception - Since the issue last year of barcoded definitive stamps, or what Royal Mail call 'everyday stamps' to the general public, they were going to be invalid to use at the end of January.  After pressure they have extended the cut off date now for another 6 months and you can still put them on your post until July or use  their swap out scheme and exchange old stamps for new.

Happily my stash of stamps for postage are all commemorative

Sunday Stamps theme this week is - E - See It On A Postcard 

Island Lighthouses

 

2011: Lighthouses (Design - Melanie Efstathiadou)

Cyprus's tallest lighthouse built in 1888, not seen on the stamp is its ancient companion a 2nd century amphitheatre

Four of Guernsey's lighthouses,  the Alderney light appears on the FDC and the 11p stamp, it warns of the Alderney Race, a turbulent strait of water between Alderney and Cap de la Hague in France, the strongest tidal stream in Europe.

Lots of rocks to founder on around the coast 

6p - Les Casquets, part of an underwater sandstone ridge, Victor Hugo wrote "to be wrecked on the Casquets is to be cut into ribbons..."; 4p - Les Hanois marks the shoals and reefs off Guernsey and gives a position fix for ships entering the Channel Traffic Separation System; 13p - Sark Lighthouse on Point Robert was designated a 'rock station' so lighthouse keepers got extra pay but unlike the usual isolated postings they could visit the tiny island's pub, The Mermaid Tavern.

2007: Island Jewels

A lighthouse with a sandy beach, now that is definitely heavenly and one of the local residents may be smiling at you on Rottnest Island, the cute quokka

Sunday Stamps theme this week is - Lighthouses of Towers - See It On A Postcard

 

Windmills and Lighthouses

Åland Exhibition Card for SILFI 2015 (Silkeborg, Denmark)

This week's Sunday Stamps theme gives me a another chance to feature one of Tord Nygren's watercolours of windmills.  Watercolour paints and rainbows seem the perfect combination but for those of us more artistically challenged perhaps a photograph will have to do although perhaps just the pure delight of a rainbow is enough.

The 2015 Danish National Philatelic Exhibition was held in Silkeborg and organised by the local Philatelic Club with of course Åland Post in attendance.  If the town name seems familiar it is near where the ancient preserved bog bodies were discovered (Tollund Man) but for a fun fact related to windmills - Silkeborg's windiest month is January.  From Jutland we travel to

2003: World Heritage Sites, Öland (Design - P-N Nilsson (top) and B A Lundberg; Engraver - L Sjööblom)

the long narrow Danish island of Öland in the Baltic Sea where people have made their home for 5000 years.  The Agricultural Landscape of Southern Öland is a UNESCO World Heritage site and there are lots of windmills (62) one of which can be seen with the Gettinge Gravefield whose standing stones form the shape of a Viking ship, forever becalmed on land, but meanwhile

1972: Anniversaries - HM Coastguard (Design Rosalind Dease)

there is a storm at sea and a ship is in trouble - a 19th Century coastguard calls the alarm.

1978: Flashing Lighthouses on Iceland for 100 years (Design -O Ólafsson)

This is Iceland's first lighthouse 'Reykjanesviti' at Valahnukur built in 1878 but earthquakes and the wild seas on Valahnukur meant that there was a danger of the lighthouse falling into the sea so a new one was built in 1907-08 and the older one no longer exists.

1996: Lighthouses (Design - J Levinsen; Engraver - A Kühlmann)

Happily the 40 metre (128ft) tall Blåvandshuk built in 1900 is still flashing and marks the most western landmark of Denmark.

This pretty little thing is Bovbjerg Lighthouse only 26 metres high but as it stands on a cliff it is 62 metres above sea level,  The lighthouse is painted red to distinguish it from the church towers that were originally used by sailors as a navigation aid before the lighthouse was built in 1877. With its 93 steps up to the viewing platform, cafe and shop it is now a tourist destination.

For all lighthouse lovers here is one you can stay in with a panoramic view of the Baltic Sea and private steps down to the beach. The Møns Lighthouse dating back to 1845 is on the island of the same name (famous for its chalk cliffs and fossils) and today is fully automated.

Watching the Windmills, Kinderdijk, Netherlands

Sunday Stamps II theme this week is - Windmills and Lighthouses - travel for more to See It On A Postcard   

Cornwall

Cotman-Color Series Postcard KPPH 119 (Jarrold)

The lighthouse plays a very minor part in this postcard but as we are approaching All Souls Night or Halloween I thought the prayer featured on the card was appropriate as one's imagination wonders what is gathering in the darkness.  I'd always thought this was a Scottish verse but the Cornish are claiming it on this postcard although it is a rather random addition as nothing spooky seems to be occurring in the pictures.

The trip to Lands End here features the Armed Knight rocks (in Cornish - An Marogeth Arvowed) which is a popular subject for artists and photographers; further out (2k or over a mile) is the Longships Lighthouse built in 1875 to replace the 1795 one which was not high enough for the light to shine through storms.  The Romans called this area The Sea of Storms and countless ships have been lost here.

The postcard dates from the late 1960s and postie is driving a Morris van evocative of the era.  They would have posters on the side promoting the service or stamps but unfortunately this one cannot be read but his bag of letters looks full, probably with postcards bought from the land's end shop.  The signpost is one where lots of people have their picture taken for fingers can be altered to point the distance to your home.  On the downside you have to pay to access this part of England and today I  believe it is heavily commercialised with shops, restaurant etc but take a trip along the south west coastal path and the view is free.  

Postcards for the Weekend theme - Lighthouses - follow the light to Connections to the World

 

  

Pointe du Raz

Le phare de la Vieille et la pointe du Raz

The wild Atlantic Ocean boils around the La Vieille lighthouse at the Pointe du Raz in on the western tip of Brittany, France.  This lighthouse started operating in 1887 after five years of construction delayed by fierce tides and the fact that they could only build for half of the year because of the conditions.  La Vieille or The Old Lady and its companion the Petite Vieille, guide mariners through Raz de Sein with its whirlpools, strong currents and sharp rocks. The Point du Raz lighthouse that can be seen on the rocky headland in the distance consists of a lighthouse and a lighthouse keepers cottage but stopped operating in 1887, presumably when the grouping of lighthouses out at sea came 'on stream'.

This part of the coast is a popular tourist destination with the added interest of spotting the lighthouse when one gets to the end,  however the photographer, Jean Guichard, has braved the elements with his photograph.  For landlubbers the Finistère coast has attractive coastal paths and if you want to go for more than a saunter then this is the western end of the E5 European Long Distance footpath which runs for 3200 km (1988 miles) to Italy.

Postcards for the Weekend theme this week - Lighthouses - set sail to see more at Connections to the World

Shine A Light

Frothing salty waters make an appearance in all the stamps of the 1998 Lighthouse set designed by Dick Davis.  Lets set off to sea and start at the top left in Ireland with St John's Point lighthouse in County Down, which dates back to 1839. Then on to Wales and The Smalls Lighthouse and then perhaps sail down the country heading for Portsmouth and up the Solent passing by The Needles Rocks with their accompanying lighthouse which today is painted red and white but the stamp shows it at the turn of the century about 1900 in blue and white.
On the bottom is Bell Rock lighthouse off Arbroath, Scotland, built at the beginning of the 19th Century.  Lastly appears The Eddystone Light which the FDC celebrates its 300th Anniversary and the stamp shows the first of the lighthouses to stand on the Eddystone Rocks erected in 1698 and built of wood. Yes you know that is not going to end well, it was wrecked in a storm 5 years later.  The FDC came with an insert which tells the story of the four lighthouses which have stood on this point warning seafarers of danger.

The painting on the cover is by the wonderfully named Isaac Sailmaker (1633-1721) and called 'Men-o-War and other Vessels before the Eddystone Lighthouse'.

Next is a set of Lighthouse stamps which Åland issued in a booklet of eight stamps which showed four lights.

Two are photographed by Kjell Söderlund and are:  Marhällen in the Bothic Gulf and Gustaf Dahlen a light which was named after the Swedish Nobel Laureate of the same name and was the inventor of the Dahlen light. If the light name is not familiar his company will be, AGA.  The other two stamps of the set are taken from old sketches of lighthouses, the first is Bogskär which was damaged by winter storms in 1889 and destroyed by German bombardment in 1915.  The replacement station some years later was painted in the Finnish national colours of blue and white and can be seen when arriving by boat into Mariehamn.   The stamp was engraved by Martin Mörck.  The other stamp was engraved by Lars Sjööblom and is of Kökarsören but unfortunately I can find no other information so unlike the other lighthouse I can provide no link.  As can be seen the exact position of each light is shown on the bottom of the stamps.

An entry to Sunday Stamps II theme - Lighthouses - set sail to See It On A Postcard for more

See the Light

2012: Norwegian Lighthouses III

The stillness of of a rolling mist coming in off the sea with perhaps the sound of fog horns and the gentle chime of buoys at sea is what these two stamps bring to mind.  The first is the wooden lighthouse near the harbour of Oslo by the whale shaped rock of Kvringen on the western seaward approach.  The island is now a protected nature reserve together with the surrounding area of shallow reefs. The tower dates from 1892.

A sunken rock in the middle of Oslo fjord is home to the 1876 Medfjordbåen light.  As might be imagined the Oslo fjord is Norway's busiest and the ferries and cargo ships are joined in the summer with all manner of recreational boats. One of the recommended experiences for the tourist is to go island hopping by ferry on the fjord.  Islands of course must mean lots of underwater hazards so there are a lot of lights on the fjord (map of them here) 

The self adhesive stamps come in a booklet of 10 and  are designed by Benjamin Stenmark.

Wooden lighthouses are unusual to me as ours tend to be sturdy stone structures but here is one at the top of Käsmu Cape in Estonia.  This is one of two preserved wooden lighthouses in Estonia and the maximum card celebrates its survival from 1892-2012.  In 2013 it opened as a museum.  This beacon was originally put in place to make sailing into the home port for the Maritime School pupils easier.

The stamp shows the position of the beacon and its latitude and longitude, then on the back of the card

is a map of it in its wider context.  The village of Käsmu sounds like an interesting place with its hiking and cycle trails, sea museum and even a replica Viking longship.

An entry to Sunday Stamps II theme - Lighthouses - for more sail into See It On a Postcard harbour here 

      

Vertical Structures

2007: Lighthouses

On the southern headland of the island of Sylt in North Frisia on the North Sea coast where it is said witches dance on the dunes, the souls of shipwrecked sailors wander and the goblin Dikjendälmann may be seen sits the Hörnum lighthouse.  Active since 1907 the keeper's house is now used as a registrar's office, it is both a popular tourist destination and a place for weddings.  This beautiful area's lighthouse sits on top of a dune, by federal law protection is given to all historic lighthouses.

You can climb the 248 iron spiral stairs both day and night of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse in North Carolina.  It is next to the visitors centre and Museum of the Sea so it sounds like a great day out.  Here is where the warm Gulf Streams collide with the cold Labrador current producing ocean storms gaining it the name "Graveyard of the Atlantic".  Built in 1868 the lighthouse came under National Park ownership in 1936 when it had been abandoned.  Coastal erosion meant that the lighthouse was in danger of falling into the sea so in the 1999  "Move of the Millennium" the whole things was relocated further inland. It is the tallest brick lighthouse in the USA coming in at 210 feet.  The stamp is 1 of 5 issued in 1990 as part of several topical booklets on Americana and this one was released to commemorate the US Coast Guard and US Lighthouse Service, portraying  lighthouses of the five major coastal regions. The stamps were designed by the artist Howard Koslow who has now produced all of the subsequent lighthouse stamps. I love his use of the geese flying past this one.

1998: Lighthouses

These are the only  lighthouse stamps I have but interestingly they manage to take in three continents and this one is no longer in the country that issued the stamp. Pelican Point lighthouse was built by the South African government in 1932 when it administrated the Walvis Bay Territory. The bay was called Walfischbucht in German meaning "Whale Bay" which in Dutch is Walvis Bay.  After Namibian independence in 1990 this lighthouse became part of the country.  It stands on the naturally protected harbour of the SW African coast (which is the only deep water port of the country) and continues to be active not only with light but also with a fog horn. Unlike the previous US lighthouse's position being eroded by the sea the spit that the Namibian lighthouse sits on is extending itself.

2007: Water Towers

Lastly something a similar shape to Lighthouses but actually a water tower. This stone water tower dates from 1530 and was part of the city of Pilsen's (Plzen̆ in Czech) first water system. One of the attractions of the city is a tour of the labyrinth of historical underground corridors, cellars and wells and it is possible to see  the water tower underground.  Nearby if something stronger than water is required is the Pilsner Urquell Brewery.

An entry to Viridian Postcard's Sunday Stamps theme of -  Lighthouses or other public structures