Description: This atmospheric stamp features the Eddystone Lighthouse, one of the world’s most famous and historically significant beacons, located on treacherous rocks 9 miles south of Plymouth, Devon.
Circa: 1998
Condition: MNH
Notes:
The first lighthouse on Eddystone Rocks was an octagonal wooden structure built by Henry Winstanley. The lighthouse was also the first recorded instance of an offshore lighthouse. Construction started in 1696 and the light was lit on 14 November 1698. Winstanley's tower lasted until the great storm of 1703 erased almost all trace on 8 December [O.S. 27 November]. Winstanley was on the lighthouse, completing additions to the structure. No trace was found of him, or of the other five men in the lighthouse.