The Baltimore Beacon is a white-painted stone beacon positioned high above the channel between the mainland and Sherkin Island near the entrance to the harbour at Baltimore, County Cork, Ireland.
| Baltimore Beacon | |
|---|---|
 Beacon with Sherkin Island and its lighthouse visible in distance | |
 | |
| Type | navigational beacon |
| Location | Baltimore, County Cork |
| Coordinates | 51°28′25″N 9°23′16″W / 51.47360°N 9.38779°W |
| Built | 1848 |
The structure is approximately 50 feet (15 m) high and 15 feet (4.6 m) in diameter at the base, and is situated on the top of a cliff, itself 160 feet (49 m) in height.[1] It is built of rubble stone into a tapered conical shape with a red-painted spherical metal finish on the top.[2] It constitutes part of a series of lighthouses and beacons dotted around the Irish coast to assist in marine navigation.
The beacon is locally known as "Lot's Wife",[2] after the Biblical woman turned into a pillar of salt.[3] The beacon has become a recognizable part of Baltimore's landscape, and one of the area's defining landmarks.[2][1] The structure is featured on photographs and paintings of Baltimore. Southern Star newspaper's column with news from Baltimore and the area was titled "From Baltimore Beacon".[4] Local businesses adopted the beacon as a part of its name, with a notable example of Baltimore's now defunct Beacon Park Hotel. The feature is an attraction for tourists and day trip visitors, and "there is no end of people who get engaged",[1] and even married[5] there.
History edit
The beacon was built in 1848 after it had been noticed that an older warning beacon existing at the entrance of the Baltimore Harbour went into ruin.[6]
The wreck of a 17-century ship HMS Looe lies at the base of the beacon cliff.[6]
The decision to declassify the beacon as a navigational tool caused confusion in the 2010s as to who is the actual owner and as such should maintain the beacon, and in particular re-paint it in white.[7]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c "Baltimore Beacon is our 'Notre Dame' but is being neglected". The Southern Star. 18 May 2019.
- ^ a b c "The Beacon, BALTIMORE, Baltimore, CORK". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ lloydhegarty. "Baltimore Beacon". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- ^ "From Baltimore Beacon". Southern Star. 26 October 1946.
- ^ "Clifftop wedding near Baltimore". Southern Star. 3 July 1999.
- ^ a b McCarthy, Kieran (2019). 50 Gems of West Cork. Amberley. p. 40. ISBN 978-1-4456-9239-5.
- ^ Keogh, Jackie (1 June 2019). "Petition puts the spotlight on shabby Baltimore Beacon in need of paint job". The Southern Star.
External links edit
- Irish National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
- Pete's Irish Lighthouses
- [1]
- General Lighthouse Authorities of UK and Ireland - Aids to Navigation Review 2010 - 2015
- Report of the Sea and Inland Fisheries - 1881 see note on the need for a light at Baltimore harbour among other details
- Baltimore Town - tourist information
- K513 - Baltimore Beacon - photograph and information
- Baltimore, Co. Cork - Wikishire
- The Algiers Inn pub Baltimore history - shipwreck history
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