title A Trip up a Lighthouse, Southwold, Suffolk - 27th October 2019 intro It's a law of the universe: you can go somewhere millions of times and still have never done the obvious stuff. And so it was with the lighthouse just off St. James's Green in Southwold, having seen it and even walked right past it countless times. This time, though, we were both a) near it and b) noticed it was open, and so finally got round to having a look. It's unusual as it's Trinity House's only "inland" lighthouse (for a definition which means maybe 100 metres in and definitely not battered by the sea on regular occasions), which gives it a distinctive wide-open-on-the-inside build. This contrasts to, say, Smeaton's Tower in Plymouth, which as the former Eddystone lighthouse originally sited eleven miles into the Atlantic, was built to be almost solid with a narrow spiral flight of steps on the inside. Also here, for want of somewhere to put it, is a photo from Mother and Mike's collection showing the pier when it had mostly fallen into the sea. The pavillion was restored to financial success between 1987 and 1992, whilst the pier itself was eventually rebuilt between 1999 and 2001. scan-2019-11-01-0002 Southwold pier before the pier itself was rebuilt imgp6987 We're back in Tim Hunkin's Under The Pier Show imgp6989 Fred does the amusing "walk the dog" machine imgp6990 The dog has found a cat to chase imgp6991 Harry grins at the "test your nerve" drooling dog imgp6992 A shooting dude imgp6994 Fred has a go, and gets drooled on imgp6999 We walk down to the end of the pier imgp7001 The tin men are still doing their comedy weeing imgp7005 People watch the clock imgp7006 Looking back to the mural of George Orwell imgp7008 Fred does the "Quantum tunnelling telescope" imgp7009 The end of the pier imgp7012 Harry looks out to sea imgp7013 People on the beach at Southwold imgp7015 Isobel gets some ice creams imgp7016 Ice-creams and drinks on the sea front imgp7018 Benches on the beach imgp7022 Harry shows off his missing teeth imgp7028 Harry has a drink imgp7030 Ice creams and fizzy drinks - quality imgp7034 Fred grins imgp7041 Walking the dog imgc5279 Fred gets a photo of Harry on a cannon imgp7042 The lighthouse beckons imgp7045 An improvised cone of some sort imgp7046 The Southwold lighthouse imgp7047 We stop off for sweets first imgp7048 The boys are like kids in a sweet shop imgp7049 An array of classic sweets in jars imgp7050 Isobel pays for stuff in the sweet shop imgp7053 The wide-open spiral inside of the lighthouse imgp7055 Isobel and the boys climb the stairs imgp7059 The boys peer out of a small window imgp7065 A view over Southwold imgp7066 The gang in the lantern room imgp7075 Fresnel rings are reminiscent of a Dalek somehow imgp7085 One of the earlier tungsten lamps imgp7087 Southwold Pier from the lighthouse imgp7088 Looking down Stradbroke Road, Southwold imgp7095 The light looks like astronomy aparatus imgp7096 The tour group in the lighthouse imgp7098 The next tour group assembles imgp7101 The Sole Bay Inn on St. James's Green imgp7104 Looking back from outside Adnams' Brewery imgp7105 The church of St. Edmund King and Martyr imgp7108 The nave of St. Edmund imgc5333 Harry's head in the church imgp7114 Mediaeval rood-screen paintings imgp7116 An epic font cover imgp7119 Fred and Harry mess around in the playground imgp7123 Harry in a spider's web imgp7124 The old hospital is being done up as flats imgp7126 Back at Southwold Pier imgp7127 Beach huts: a study in blue imgp7128 Another Southwold beach hut imgp7130 An amusing horse and rider in Halesworth imgp7131 Back at home, Fred plays some guitar