and given a new group flashing characteristic: three flashes every 30 seconds. The tower is tall, putting the lantern at above sea level. The lighthouse is painted white with three red bands and has a light characteristic of Fl(3)30s (three white flashes, repeated every 30 seconds) at a height of with a range of . It continues to use the optic installed in 1868. The other lighthouse - the "low light" - was lower. Together they formed a pair of range lights that marked a safe passage around the southern end of the offshore Haisborough Sands to a stretch of safe waters known as 'The Would'. Independence In 1987 Happisburgh was one of five lighthouses declared redundant by Trinity House and deactivation was planned for June 1988. Villagers organised a petition to oppose the closure, and as a result the date was postponed. Under the Merchant Shipping Act of 1894, Trinity House may dispose of a working lighthouse only to an established Lighthouse Authority. On 25 April 1990 the Happisburgh Lighthouse Act received the Royal Assent establishing the Happisburgh Lighthouse Trust as a Local Lighthouse Authority, and Happisburgh became the only independently run operational lighthouse in Great Britain. In June 2018, the lighthouse was repainted. At a cost of £20,000, the work took two weeks by a specialist team of four painters. The 300 litres of specially mixed masonry paints used was donated by a paint company. Friends of Happisburgh Lighthouse, said: “The re-paint demonstrates our continuing commitment to maintaining Happisburgh lighthouse for future generations.” Due to COVID-19, the Lighthouse did not open to visitors in 2020. In popular culture In 1990, the lighthouse featured in an episode of the BBC TV programme Challenge Anneka. The lighthouse was repainted inside and out in 33 hours on 30–31 August 1990, with the programme airing on 15 December 1990. The lighthouse was used as the location for the video of Ellie Goulding's 2010 song "The Writer". It features prominently in the 2015 horror film AfterDeath, its beam causing terrifying flashbacks. Gallery See also List of lighthouses in England Bibliography References External links Happisburgh Lighthouse website Trinity House Lighthouse Service An 1892 OS map, showing both the Happisburgh lighthouses ('England - Norfolk: 030/NW', Ordnance Survey 1:10,560 - Epoch 1 (1892)). Date accessed: 28 August 2010 Lighthouses completed in 1790 Towers completed in 1790 Lighthouses in Norfolk History of Norfolk North Norfolk 1790 establishments