Royal Sovereignlighthouse, located offshore from Eastbourne, is a lighthouse marking the Royal Sovereign shoal. Its distinctive shape is easily recognised as it comprises a large platform supported by a single pillar rising out of the water. Originally, the platform was manned by three full-time keepers, accommodation being contained in the 'cabin section' immediately below the platform.
Construction and installation
The lighthouse replaced a lightship that had marked the Royal Sovereign Shoal since 1875. The structure was built, in two parts, on Newhaven beach, and put into position in 1970. First, the base and attached column were floated out to the shoal, where the hollow base was flooded and allowed to sink into position. Then the cabin section and superstructure were floated out, positioned over the base and allowed to settle on to the column as the tide fell. Afterwards the telescopic inner section of the column was jacked up, increasing its height by.
Operation
The lighthouse was brought into operation at noon on 6 September 1971, whereupon the lightship was towed away. Initially, the light source was a 1,000 watt bulb set within a revolving 3.5 order catadioptric optic, mounted in a superstructure on the corner of the platform. Beneath the lantern, on two intermediate levels, were the sounder, air tanks and associated equipment for the diaphonefog horn, below which the main control room was located. Power was provided by four 20 kW diesel generators, housed in the cabin section of the structure along with two diesel compressors. The opticcompleted one revolution per minute, thus displaying one flash every 20 seconds with a range of. The light was automated in 1994. At the same time, the optic and lamp were replaced and converted to solar-powered operation, and the fog horn replaced by an electric emitter. As of 2006 the light was controlled by a 475 MHz radio link to Trinity House managed by Vodafone; the platform was still occasionally occupied.
Decommissioning
In June 2019, Trinity House announced that the lighthouse would be decommissioned, and then removed, because of the platform's structural condition.
