Anvil Point
Encyclopedia
Jurassic Coast
The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. The site stretches from Orcombe Point near Exmouth in East Devon to Old Harry Rocks near Swanage in East Dorset, a distance of ....
near Swanage
Swanage
Swanage is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is situated at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck, approximately 10 km south of Poole and 40 km east of Dorchester. The parish has a population of 10,124 . Nearby are Ballard Down and Old Harry Rocks,...
on the Isle of Purbeck
Isle of Purbeck
The Isle of Purbeck, not a true island but a peninsula, is in the county of Dorset, England. It is bordered by the English Channel to the south and east, where steep cliffs fall to the sea; and by the marshy lands of the River Frome and Poole Harbour to the north. Its western boundary is less well...
in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The Jurassic Coast
Jurassic Coast
The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. The site stretches from Orcombe Point near Exmouth in East Devon to Old Harry Rocks near Swanage in East Dorset, a distance of ....
stretches over a distance of 153 kilometres (95 mi), from Orcombe Point
Orcombe Point
Orcombe Point is a coastal feature near Exmouth, Devon, on the south coast of England. It lies about south of the city of Exeter, southeast of Exmouth town centre and about southwest of Sidmouth....
near Exmouth
Exmouth, Devon
Exmouth is a port town, civil parish and seaside resort in East Devon, England, sited on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe. In 2001, it had a population of 32,972.-History:...
, in the west, to Old Harry Rocks
Old Harry Rocks
The Old Harry Rocks are two chalk sea stacks located at Handfast Point, on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, southern England.- Location :Old Harry Rocks lie directly east of Studland, about 4 kilometres northeast of Swanage, and about 10 kilometres south of the large towns of Poole and...
, in the east.
Geography
Anvil Point is within the grounds of Durlston Country ParkDurlston Country Park
Durlston Country Park is a 1.13 square kilometre country park and nature reserve stretching along the coast of the Isle of Purbeck near Swanage in Dorset, England...
and is on the hill about three kilometres from Swanage town centre. Anvil Point is in the eastern part of the Portland limestone
Portland stone
Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries consist of beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building stone throughout the British Isles, notably in major...
and the Purbeck beds that stretches from Durlston Head
Durlston Bay
Durlston Bay is a small bay next to a country park of the same name, just south of the resort of Swanage, on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, England...
to St. Aldhelm's Head
St Alban's Head
St Alban's Head is located five kilometres southwest of Swanage, on the coast of Dorset, England.-Geology:The headland is an outcrop of Portland Stone from the overlying Lower Purbeck Stone...
. For a long time the cliffs along this stretch of coast were quarried at Tilly Whim Caves
Tilly Whim Caves
Tilly Whim Caves consists of three stone quarries in Durlston Country Park, 1 mile south of Swanage, on the Isle of Purbeck, in Dorset, southern England....
, Dancing Ledge
Dancing Ledge
Dancing Ledge is part of the Jurassic Coast near Langton Matravers in the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, England.-Geology:Dancing Ledge is a flat area of rock at the base of a small cliff . It is signposted on the South West Coast Path a few kilometres west of Swanage...
, Seacombe and Winspit
Winspit
Winspit is an old quarry on the cliffs near Worth Matravers in the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, England that is no longer in use. More recently it has been used as a set for Doctor Who and Blake's 7....
. The cliffs are superb for geologists and also for walkers. They are very well known to rock climbers.
Anvil Point Lighthouse
The Anvil Point Lighthouse is built of local stone and was completed in 1881. It was opened by Neville ChamberlainNeville Chamberlain
Arthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
's father, then Minister of Transport. The lighthouse tower is twelve metres tall, the height of the light above the high water mark is 45 metres. The light is positioned to give a waypoint for vessels passing along the English Channel coast. Originally the light was illuminated by a paraffin vapour burner (PVB). During 1960 the lighthouse was modernised and electrified. The Anvil Point lighthouse has a 1000 Watt Filament Lamp and its character is a white Flash every 10 Seconds with an intensity of 500,000 Candela. The lights range is about 24 nautical miles (44.4 km). The old fog signal was a 5 minute cannon. The fog signal was replaced during 1981 by new automatic equipment, but it has now been discontinued.
Anvil Point Lighthouse was fully automated on 31st May, 1991 and is now monitored and controlled from the Trinity House
Trinity House
The Corporation of Trinity House of Deptford Strond is the official General Lighthouse Authority for England, Wales and other British territorial waters...
Operations Control Centre at Harwich
Harwich
Harwich is a town in Essex, England and one of the Haven ports, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the northeast, Ipswich to the northwest, Colchester to the southwest and Clacton-on-Sea to the south...
.
The Swanage lighthouse is near a Visitor Centre and is sometimes open to the public for tours. This area is an area of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Some of the old buildings have been refurbished as holiday cottages.