CHASING A PIECE OF HISTORY

A 90-mile chase across Sussex has rescued a piece of the Royal Sovereign Lighthouse from the jaws of the metal crusher.

A team from Bexhill Maritime (BM), the charity behind the planned maritime centre on the seafront, had to move quickly to save part of the ladder tube from the lighthouse from being scrapped.

Thanks to the co-operation of European Metal Recycling Ltd (EMR) the object is now in safe storage.

The story began when BM member Richard Evans went to Shoreham to collect some items from the demolition contractors, Herbosch-Kiere, who finished taking down and breaking-up the lighthouse a few weeks ago. He noticed the bottom section of the ladder tube sitting on the docks.

This would have been situated near the bottom of the tower column where it joined the concrete caisson on the seabed.

He asked if he could have it but was told he couldn’t. BM founder and chair Raymond Konyn also asked but was refused.

Raymond and a BM team went to Shoreham to pick up some other items and found out the ladder tube had been sent to the local scrap yard, EMR Shoreham. The team immediately went there and the manager let them in to check it hadn’t yet been crushed.

Raymond spoke to the Operations Manager, Tony Wenham, the following day. He discovered it had already been sent to EMR Southampton for crushing.

Tony agreed to phone and stop it going into the crusher. He was just in time thanks to the swift assistance of Mark Robinson and the EMR Southampton team.

He also agreed, at no charge, to have it returned to Shoreham and to donate it to BM.

There then remained the problem of where to store it.

Richard contacted Tinkers Park at Hadlow Down for free temporary storage.

South Coast Trailers in Pevensey provided a trailer at a charity rate to enable the team to return to Shoreham and collect the prize.

Thanks to the assistance of BM committee member Stuart Davies and his colleague Dave Harrison, it was unloaded and is now on hard-standing at Tinkers Park and covered to give it some protection. 

Raymond said: “We are very grateful to Tony and the team led by Mark Robinson at both EMR Shoreham and Southampton for rescuing the piece for us.

“EMR have been very generous in helping BM secure this piece, which will be tidied up and go on display in the maritime centre. We cannot thank him enough.”

Tony said: “Myself and the EMR group were happy to help save this clearly valuable heritage piece so it can be preserved and displayed in the maritime centre.”

Raymond also thanked Tinkers Park for agreeing to store the object.

“We had rescued it but then needed somewhere secure to keep it. Our thanks go to Tinkers Park for stepping in just when it was needed.”

Bexhill Maritime will be unveiling the plans for the maritime centre early this year. The actual lantern tower is still in storage in Bexhill, courtesy of Ibstock in Turkey Road. It will be the focal point of the centre when it is built.