The only lighthouse in London (14 photos)

On the north bank of the Thames, opposite the famous O2 arena (formerly the Millennium Dome), stands London's only lighthouse. It was built in 1866 to test new types of lamps and technology, and to train lighthouse keepers.





The hexagonal brick tower with a traditional lantern on top was part of the training centre and workshops that operated on the pier.



The lighthouse in 1920 and 2020

The lighthouse is located at the mouth of the River Lee, in the Trinity Buoy Wharf area. For two centuries, this area belonged to the Trinity House Corporation, the official body responsible for lighthouses in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar, as well as for navigation systems and maritime communications. It housed docks for the repair of lightships, warehouses for buoys that helped shipping on the Thames, workshops and testing grounds for new technologies.





There used to be two lighthouses here. The first, built in 1852, was used by Michael Faraday (famous for discovering electromagnetic induction) to experiment with optics. Appointed scientific adviser to Trinity House in 1836, Faraday spent almost 30 years perfecting the design of lighthouses.



Lighthouse keepers training at Trinity Buoy Wharf

He improved optical lenses, developed electrical generators, and optimized ventilation systems. Today, the wharf houses a small Faraday Museum, a recreated 19th-century laboratory.

Modern use



In 1988, the Trinity House workshops closed and the site was transferred to the London Docklands Development Corporation, and then leased to a private company. It now houses an art space made from shipping containers, offices, a café and restaurant in the style of a 1940s American diner, and the Longplayer sound installation, a 1,000-year-old composition that has been playing in the lighthouse since December 31, 1999 (it will end in 2999).



This place combines industrial history, scientific heritage and contemporary art, remaining a little-known but interesting landmark of London.





Michael Faraday is an English physicist and chemist, the founder of the theory of electromagnetic field





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