Lighthouse manning in Cornwall

• "the relief" was the expression used to describe the change over of crew on lighthouses
• the length of a spell of duty on the lighthouse varied with he lighthouse and how prone it was to bad weather delaying the changeover
• a lighthouse like Eddystone would have a relief every 29 days, when half the crew were changed over - in other words each man had two months on and one month off.
• Often bad weather might delay would delay the relief by 7 to 10 days, and sometimes even longer
• the relief boat would approach the rock that the lighthouse stood on, and the new keeper had to be winched off by a wooden crane on the rock operated by the keepers on the rock, once on the rock he helped winch off the man going off duty, stores were also winched onto the rock, then the crane had to be dismantled and taken inside the lighthouse for safety
• today all Cornish lighthouses are automatic, so unmanned. Periodic visits are made to maintain the lamps and equipment, and replenish the oil for the generators
• the crew consisted of three men, and one was on watch all the time, though most of the time nothing happened and life was mindnumbingly boring, with little to do apart from routine cleaning and maintenance
• a lighthouse would have 8 floors, of which three floors would be living quarters (kitchen, living room, bedroom). Each room was circular and around 12 feet across
• before fridges, food was basic and none of it fresh. Fishing was difficult, though some manages to fly kites with baited hooks.
• sanitary facilities consisted of a bucket that was emptied into the sea
• today the men are all gone, and the maintenance carried out by regular helicopter visits

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