Heritage Coast :
Flamborough Head is one of the most
prominent features on the East Coast of
England. Jutting out miles into the North
Sea, the headland has in the past been
effectively cut off by the construction, in
the Iron Age, of the erroneously named
Danes’ Dyke, which encloses five square
miles of the peninsula. The village of
Flamborough itself is situated in the centre
of the Headland but the sound and smell of
the sea are never far away.
Flamborough Head was defined as a
Heritage Coast by the Countryside Commission
and the local authorities concerned in
October 1979. In October 1982 the
Flamborough Headland Heritage Coast Project
was launched to promote and encourage
interest in the area.
Flamborough Head has much to offer. The
lighthouse was built in 1806 by John Matson
of Bridlington without the use of
scaffolding, is 85 feet tall and stands atop
a chalk cliff 170 feet high. Further back
from the coast is the old Beacon light
tower, dating from circa 1674, and the only
known example in England. Recent restoration
work has cast doubt on whether a fire was
ever actually lighted atop the structure. It
now stands, a gleaming monument to the
rightful awe in which mariners beheld the
jagged, dangerous coast.
The firing of two rockets to signal a
vessel in distress would bring villagers
racing to North Landing to witness the
launching of the Lifeboat, a sight not
easily forgotten. The new lifeboat is now
stationed at South Landing. Lifeboatmen in
the village, instead of being summoned by
the rockets, are now paged instead. The sea
off Flamborough is the resting place of many
ships, none more famous than the Bonhomme
Richard, flagship of John Paul Jones, which
was sunk after the first action of the
fledgling United States Navy in September
1779.
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