# The man keeping the world's lighthouses shining.



## D1566 (Sep 7, 2009)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-40887830


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## Duncan112 (Dec 28, 2006)

You can see the original Chance Works (albeit shrouded in scaffolding) on the South side of the M5 raised section just outside Birmingham. - Real good look at the moment as that's where the road works are again - maybe urban myth but allegedly last time they repaired the Motorway they used the wrong concrete - leading to the work being repeated. Doing battle with that section later today - or maybe M42 if bad!!


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## D1566 (Sep 7, 2009)

Duncan112 said:


> You can see the original Chance Works (albeit shrouded in scaffolding) on the South side of the M5 raised section just outside Birmingham. - Real good look at the moment as that's where the road works are again - maybe urban myth but allegedly last time they repaired the Motorway they used the wrong concrete - leading to the work being repeated. Doing battle with that section later today - or maybe M42 if bad!!


I have been avoiding that section for a while now; horrendous delays every time.
Had noticed the works there but I hadn't made the connection with lighthouses!


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## Duncan112 (Dec 28, 2006)

http://www.cgwht.org/


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## D1566 (Sep 7, 2009)

Duncan112 said:


> http://www.cgwht.org/


Thanks


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## Dartskipper (Jan 16, 2015)

Fascinating slice of history, not only the maritime connection, but our industrial heritage too. 

Roy.


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

Dartskipper said:


> Fascinating slice of history, not only the maritime connection, but our industrial heritage too.
> 
> Roy.


When I was doing my history O level long, long ago, we were studying the industrial revolution. Our history teacher said if you want to know about it, wait for a grey rainy day and catch a train from Wolverhampton to Birmingham that stops off at every station on the way, ... you'll learn all you need to know.

All gone now.


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## 5036 (Jan 23, 2006)

The prisms of a lighthouse are what is called a Fresnel Lens. The standard lens was heavy and had a large amount of transmission losses through the long light-path. A Fresnel lens is in effect the part of a lens which purely focuses the light into a single beam discarding the rest which gave the large loss of brightness.

For an amazing read, "The Lighthouse Stevensons" by Bella Bathurst is a cracking book.


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

Wonder why the prisms are all breaking?

John T


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## D1566 (Sep 7, 2009)

Seems that Chance Brothers are still in business;

http://www.chanceglass.co.uk/?p=history


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## Michael Taylor (Aug 31, 2008)

The US Government was the largest purchaser of Sperm Oil which they used for the Fresnel lens lighthouses in times past.


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## Dartskipper (Jan 16, 2015)

The entry in Wikipedia seems to cover all the facts.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lighthouse

I was checking my memory of the lantern revolving in a bath of mercury, and found lots of other interesting facts.


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