Anyone Familiar with Normans Bay, E. Sussex?

[Cheeky Monkey]

1. What is that large building completely wrapped in white plastic on the seafront?

2. What is that thing a mile or so out to sea that looks like an oil rig or a wind turbine?

 

[Whitterz]

1. What is that large building completely wrapped in white plastic on the seafront?

2. What is that thing a mile or so out to sea that looks like an oil rig or a wind turbine?

1. no idea

2. It is one of many tele- communications lines, which connects telephone calls to the likes of France and the rest of eastern Europe

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

1. no idea

2. It is one of many tele- communications lines, which connects telephone calls to the likes of France and the rest of eastern Europe

St Leonards Warrior Square-tastic answers Whitterz, even though the 'oil rig' thing didn't look much like a 'tele-communications line' from where I was standing

 

[dougdeep]

It's the Royal Sovereign Light. It replaced the lightship in the 70's. It was built in Newhaven.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

It's the Royal Sovereign Light. It replaced the lightship in the 70's. It was built in Newhaven.

Google tells me yours is the right answer Doug D

There was a major construction project at Seaford Bay in 1971 - the Royal Sovereign Light Tower was built on the beach near Tidemills. The new tower was built to replace the ninety-six year old light vessel that marked the dangerous Royal Sovereign rocks off Bexhill.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Are they tarting up one of the Martello Towers at Normans Bay? That might explain (1).

 

[wehatepalace]

Is this it

 

[Timbo]

weirdly enough, just 4 hours ago I was right underneath the Sovereign Light tower!

LB is right, its the Martello Tower thats wrapped in plastic.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Cheers guys, questions answered.

I'm just amazed that there are rocks that far out at sea that would pose a danger to shipping. Surely the sea would be too deep for ships to come into contact with rocks?!?!

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Is this it

That is one odd bit of design. Looks like a Year 7 skool project made from toilet rolls, a ceral packet and some stick-backed plastic.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I think it was the first lighthouse in Britain to be designed with a helicopter landing pad built into it.

 

[Timbo]

Its now privately owned although Trinity House still maintain it. It's ridiculously oversized for its purpose and before it was sold off there were plans to move it to the Irish Sea.

It hasn't been manned for a good few years now but I remember the bloke who used to man it going for walks round and round the helicopter pad. And if anyone fancies going in, theres a window open on the southern side of it!

LB, I may be wrong but doesn't the Longships lighthouse have a helipad on top?

 

[Lord Bracknell]

LB, I may be wrong but doesn't the Longships lighthouse have a helipad on top?

Looks like it ... but it's an old lighthouse with a landing pad added. Royal Sovereign was designed from new with facilities for helicopters.

 

[Timbo]

Good call, just realised that!

I don't suppose when the Longships was built they had much call for a helipad!

 

[Timbo]

Heres another picture anyway that I took a couple of months ago.

Christ, thats huge! Hang on I'll make it smaller.

 

[Timbo]

 

[Seagulltonian]

View attachment 10787

Nice picture

Never seen it as close as that before.

I was told that it is was put where it is, cos the sea is only about 10 foot deep on the land side of it, so it stops big ships from becoming grounded. Don't know how true that is though

 

[dougdeep]

I have some pictures of it being built somewhere, I may come across them one day.