We braved extreme weather to conserve the central stack of the cottages, taking on repair of the chimney stack in a project that significantly developed our conservation skills.
The fog battery complex was constructed in 1863 to warn ships to steer clear of the island, due to the lighthouse often becoming obscured by fog and therefore becoming unreliable. During foggy weather, operators (who lived in cottages at the complex) were required to fire canons every 10 minutes to alert ships of the island’s presence. Find out more about the Battery Complex on the Historic England website.
To conserve the ‘domestic’ appearance of the complex’s cottages, we repaired damage to the central chimney, which was shared by both cottages.
This project lead to Rachel becoming shortlisted for Historic England’s Angel Award in 2017, which was reported in local press including Devon Live.
