Lantern reglazing delays lighthouse reopening

The extent of the damage was discovered when the restoration started

The reopening of a lighthouse has been pushed back by about a month while several panes of curved glass on its lantern are replaced.

North Tyneside Council announced earlier this week that Whitley Bay's St Mary's Lighthouse will remain closed until mid-October while the repairs take place.

Project manager Ashley Laycock said the glass on the lantern was special because it was concaved and manufacturing took time.

Local councillors said they were "disappointed" by the delay, but remained hopeful of a "thorough job" and "impressive" upgrade.

The lighthouse and the island have been closed since July while the £900,000 repairs go ahead.

Restoration has included painting the lighthouse and visitor centre, repairing stonework, fixing windows and repairing buildings on the island.

The reglazing will take place while the scaffolding is still up

The curved glass on the lantern needs to be specially manufactured and is being sourced by a local glazier.

Mr Laycock said: "The glass is special as it is concaved.

"This means that it is curved both ways and manufacturing takes time due to heating the glass to create the curves. There was also the templates that needed to be designed first to get the glass right which is why it’s taken a bit longer."

'Unforeseen challenges'

The reglazing work will take place now while the scaffolding is still up to avoid disruption.

Mr Laycock said the issues with the glass were known about, but the extent of the damage was noticed when scaffolding went up and a closer look was taken.

"It would be a shame not to install new glazing to the lantern once the rest of the lighthouse is painted and looking better," he said.

"It makes much more sense to do it now while the scaffolding is up, rather than put up more scaffolding at a later date."

The new glass is being sourced by a local glazier

Conservative councillor for St Mary’s, Iain McAlpine, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "It is disappointing the works won’t be completed to the original schedule, but the restoration of the lighthouse is a unique and complicated process, so unforeseen challenges can happen."

Labour councillor for St Mary’s, Andy Holdsworth, added: "We are eagerly awaiting the re-opening of our beloved lighthouse once the curved lantern glass has been specially crafted and replaced."

The causeway will close again at the start of October until the middle of the month for the scaffolding to be removed.

It will reopen in mid-October along with the rest of the island.

Additional reporting by Austen Shakespeare.