Welcome to KEEPING WATCH - a podcast for anyone and everyone interested in lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation. KEEPING WATCH is brought to you in association with the ALK - The Association of Lighthouse Keepers - a membership organisation and charitable trust in the UK dedicated to keeping lighthouse heritage alive. We’ll hear from the ALK’s founder, Neil Hargreaves, as well as from other former lighthouse keepers, authors of books about ligh ...
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The Association Of Lighthouse Keepers Podcasts
1
Two Lighthouse Lives: Tony Mills & Annie Spencer
55:45
55:45
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55:45
In this special end-of-season episode, we bring you two very different — but equally captivating — lighthouse stories. Tony Mills – From the Tower to the Pulpit Ed and Mel talk with Tony Mills, a former Trinity House lighthouse keeper who served in the early 1970s on stations including: The Lizard Longships Round Island South Bishop Tony shares viv…
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Lighthouse Legacy through the lens: Photographer Conor Gault
44:03
44:03
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44:03
In this week's episode of Keeping Watch, Ed and Mel discuss a lighthouse Banksy in Marseilles, before Mel interviews Scottish photographer Conor Gault, who is on a mission to photograph every living Scottish lighthouse keeper and the lighthouses where they served. Conor's heartfelt project is rooted in his family history, his Grandfather having ser…
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Exploring Lighthouse Legends: An Interview with Jeremy D'Entremont
59:32
59:32
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59:32
In this episode of Keeping Watch, hosts Ed Peppitt and Melanie Charles bring you up to date with a roundup of lighthouse news. We welcome special guest Jeremy D'Entremont, a renowned author, historian, and host of the US Lighthouse Society's 'Lighthearted' podcast. They discuss various lighthouse-related topics, including Jeremy's extensive career,…
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1
Lighthouses on television with engineer and tv presenter Rob Bell
36:17
36:17
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36:17
In this week's episode of Keeping Watch, Ed and Mel discuss the community protests against the automation of St John's Point Lighthouse in Northern Ireland, and the recent cliff falls close to Belle Tout in Sussex. This week's special guest, engineer and television presenter Rob Bell, joins Ed to talk about his fascination with lighthouses and the …
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1
Paranormal Phenomena in Lighthouses - With Mark Lewis
54:33
54:33
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54:33
This week's episode of Keeping Watch, hosted by Ed Peppitt and Melanie Charles, features a captivating discussion with Mark Lewis, the ALK Education Officer, on lighthouses and the paranormal. Mark shares his exploration of ghost stories, folklore, and scientific explanations related to paranormal phenomena in lighthouses around the world. Ed and M…
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Life as a lighthouse keeper's wife - Louise Medlicott
46:36
46:36
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46:36
In this episode of Keeping Watch, Melanie talks about her recent trip to Tenerife and her review of the local lighthouses. The main highlight, however, is a wonderfully candid conversation with Lou Medlicott, wife of former lighthouse keeper Gordon Medlicott, who recounts her experiences and challenges of raising a family while married to a lightho…
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A Lighthouse Keeper's story - Gordon Medlicott
57:03
57:03
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57:03
This week, Ed and Mel talk about the various lighthouse tours and events planned by the Association of Lighthouse Keepers (ALK) for 2025 - including the Isle of Wight, Cornwall, Anglesey and Kent. They also talk with former lighthouse keeper Gordon Medlicott, whose career with Trinity House spanned 32 years, from 1966 to 1998. Gordon regales us wit…
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A Keeper's Legacy: Our Tribute to Ian Duff
37:20
37:20
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37:20
This episode pays tribute to Ian Duff, former lighthouse keeper and President of the Association of Lighthouse Keepers (ALK), who passed away in November. We share heartfelt memories and stories from Ian's friends, colleagues, and fellow ALK members. Ian's remarkable career spanned from 1976 to 1992, during which he served at numerous Scottish ligh…
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1
Robert Fong from the Museum of the Gulf Coast
52:56
52:56
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52:56
In this episode of Keeping Watch, hosts Ed Peppitt and Melanie Charles discuss new lighthouse stories in the news, including the twinning of the Mull of Galloway Lighthouse in Stranraer with the Inubosaki Lighthouse in Japan, and the discovery of a 132-year-old message in a bottle at Corsewall Lighthouse. Mel interviews Robert Fong, curator of the …
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Automation and redundancy: Gerald Butler reflects
1:05:47
1:05:47
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1:05:47
In this episode of 'Keeping Watch,' Ed Peppitt and co-host Melanie Charles talk about some of the mysterious and spooky lighthouse tales, including the tragic story of Henry Hall at Eddystone, the eerie Flannan Islands mystery, and a death on Smalls. Ed meets up at Galley Head lighthouse to talk with former keeper Gerald Butler about the impact of …
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1
TV Presenter and Historian Paul Murton's career as a lighthouse keepers
43:47
43:47
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43:47
In this episode of Keeping Watch, hosts Ed Peppitt and Melanie Charles pay tribute to former ALK patron Captain Richard Woodman, with insights shared by ALK founder Neil Hargreaves. Ed and Mel discuss a recent BBC television programme about lighthouse keeping, including a maintenance visit to Chicken Rock; Mel discusses Linda McGuigan's recent talk…
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1
Life as a lighthouse keeper with Chris Foulds
58:30
58:30
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58:30
In this opening episode of Season 3 of Keeping Watch, a fortnightly podcast for lighthouse enthusiasts, Ed Peppitt and Melanie Charles reflect on the recent Association of Lighthouse Keepers AGM weekend in Stranraer, highlighting the camaraderie and fascinating tours of nearby lighthouses. Mel chats with Chris Folds, a former lighthouse keeper with…
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1
Royal Sovereign lighthouse - A fond farewell
1:16:34
1:16:34
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1:16:34
This week we close Season 2 with a tribute to the Royal Sovereign Lighthouse, off the Sussex coast, which following decommissioning was largely dismantled during September and October 2023. I meet and talk to the Royal Sovereign's last Principal Keeper, we'll hear archive recordings of other Keepers who served on Royal Sovereign, and I catch up wit…
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1
Ed talks with Jennifer Lucy Allan - author of The Foghorn's Lament
35:39
35:39
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35:39
Just before Christmas, I was lucky enough to meet up online with music writer, journalist and broadcaster Jennifer Lucy Allen. I first encountered Jennifer as a presenter of Radio 3's Late Junction. If you've never listened to the programme, it's well worth staying up for. I defy you to find a more interesting, diverse and eclectic mix of sounds an…
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Welcome to Episode 10 of the second season of KEEPING WATCH - a fortnightly podcast for enthusiasts of lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation. This week, we’re talking books. I meet with artist and author Roger O’Reilly - who has spent the last few years researching and illustrating nearly 350 lighthous…
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1
John Boath - The last lighthouse keeper on the Bell Rock
54:18
54:18
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54:18
Welcome to Episode 9 of the second season of KEEPING WATCH - a fortnightly podcast for enthusiasts of lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation. This week Mel and I tracked down former Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) keeper, John Boath. We discovered John was the last ever keeper on the Bell Rock. What ins…
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1
Mel talks with Vasily about the Chance Heritage Trust lighthouse mapping project
32:32
32:32
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32:32
Welcome to Episode 8 of the second season of KEEPING WATCH - a fortnightly podcast for enthusiasts of lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation. This week our new co-host Mel makes her full podcast debut, when she talks with Russian born Vasily - a lighthouse lover and ALK member who moved to Europe with h…
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1
Three former lightvessel keepers and a new co-host
39:00
39:00
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39:00
Welcome to Episode 7 of the second season of KEEPING WATCH - a fortnightly podcast for enthusiasts of lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation. At the beginning of October I attended the Association of Lighthouse Keepers AGM and annual dinner just outside Cromer, in Norfolk. I was fortunate enough to be i…
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1
Former NLB Lighthouse Keeper David Fraser
28:18
28:18
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28:18
Welcome to Episode 6 of the second season of KEEPING WATCH - a fortnightly podcast for enthusiasts of lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation. This week we meet David Fraser, who served for the Northern Lighthouse Board - the NLB - at a number of Scottish lighthouses in the 1970s. In fact, his career spa…
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1
Peter Halil talks with Tom Whiston - former Principal Keeper at Royal Sovereign Lighthouse
55:55
55:55
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55:55
Welcome to Episode 5 of the second season of KEEPING WATCH - a fortnightly podcast for enthusiasts of lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation. If you are based in the UK, you’ll be aware that Royal Sovereign lighthouse - off the Sussex coast - has been decommissioned and is in the process of being remove…
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1
Colin Bowling - I could only go to school at low tide
24:45
24:45
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24:45
Welcome to Episode 4 of the second season of KEEPING WATCH - a fortnightly podcast for enthusiasts of lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation. If you listened to Episode 3, you’ll remember we heard a lovely BBC Radio Kent interview from 1988 with Jim Bowling, who was then principal lighthouse keeper at N…
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1
Archive interview with lighthouse keeper Jim Bowling from 1988
35:55
35:55
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35:55
Welcome to Episode 3 of the second season of KEEPING WATCH - a fortnightly podcast for enthusiasts of lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation. This week I’m really pleased to be able to share with you a wonderful BBC Radio Kent interview from 1988 with Jim Bowling, who was then principal lighthouse keepe…
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1
Trinity House Lighthouse Technician Scott Tacchi
54:05
54:05
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54:05
Welcome to Episode 2 of the second season of KEEPING WATCH - a fortnightly podcast for enthusiasts of lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation. This week we meet Scott Tacchi, a Trinity House Lighthouse Technician based in south west England - I guess in many ways Scott is the modern day equivalent of a l…
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Welcome to Season 2 of KEEPING WATCH - a fortnightly podcast for enthusiasts of lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation. Now following the final episode in our first Season, we were contacted by David Jones, a former lighthouse keeper who lives just a couple of miles away from me at Dungeness, in Kent. D…
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1
Former lighthouse keepers Barry Hawkins and Jack Hayes
46:24
46:24
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46:24
Welcome to KEEPING WATCH - a fortnightly podcast for anyone and everyone interested in lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation. In this final episode of Season 1, we meet two former lighthouse keepers - Barry Hawkins, who served at many of the best known lighthouses in Wales and the South West of England…
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1
Peter Halil - a remarkable audio and film archive of the life of a lighthouse keeper
39:36
39:36
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39:36
Welcome to KEEPING WATCH - a fortnightly podcast for anyone and everyone interested in lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation. This week I talk with Peter Halil, who was a Lighthouse Keeper between 1974 and 1997. We talk about his time in the lighthouse service, and about the remarkable archive of inter…
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1
Light on the Forelands: lighthouse history through the stories of light keeping families
31:43
31:43
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31:43
Welcome to KEEPING WATCH - a fortnightly podcast for anyone and everyone interested in lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation. This week I talk with researcher, lecturer, author and publisher Ken Trethewey, a descendant of the Knott family, one of the most famous names in the history of light keekept wa…
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1
Keeping the Goodwin Sands safe during the blitz and discussing lightships with author Anthony Lane
52:20
52:20
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52:20
Welcome to KEEPING WATCH - a fortnightly podcast for anyone and everyone interested in lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation. This week we turn our attention back to lightvessels - I talk with author Tony Lane, who probably has the largest archive of research available anywhere about the lightships aro…
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Welcome to KEEPING WATCH - a fortnightly podcast for anyone and everyone interested in lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation. This week we discuss the role of women in the lighthouse service. We ask why neither Trinity house nor the NLB ever formally appointed female lighthouse keepers, especially when…
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1
Dr Sally Montgomery - How a lighthouse optic became an iconic Belfast monument
40:09
40:09
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40:09
Welcome to KEEPING WATCH - a fortnightly podcast for anyone and everyone interested in lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation. KEEPING WATCH is brought to you in association with the ALK - The Association of Lighthouse Keepers - a charitable trust in the UK dedicated to keeping lighthouse heritage alive…
…
continue reading
1
Former lighthouse keepers sharing their stories
32:35
32:35
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32:35
Welcome to KEEPING WATCH - a fortnightly podcast for anyone and everyone interested in lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation. KEEPING WATCH is brought to you in association with the ALK - The Association of Lighthouse Keepers - a charitable trust in the UK dedicated to keeping lighthouse heritage alive…
…
continue reading
Welcome to KEEPING WATCH - a fortnightly podcast for anyone and everyone interested in lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation. KEEPING WATCH is brought to you in association with the ALK - The Association of Lighthouse Keepers - a charitable trust in the UK dedicated to keeping lighthouse heritage alive…
…
continue reading
1
Gerald Butler - Former Keeper for Commissioners of Irish Lights
40:11
40:11
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40:11
Welcome to KEEPING WATCH - a fortnightly podcast for anyone and everyone interested in lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation. KEEPING WATCH is brought to you in association with the ALK - The Association of Lighthouse Keepers - a charitable trust in the UK dedicated to keeping lighthouse heritage alive…
…
continue reading
Welcome to KEEPING WATCH - a fortnightly podcast for anyone and everyone interested in lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation. KEEPING WATCH is brought to you in association with the ALK - The Association of Lighthouse Keepers - a charitable trust in the UK dedicated to keeping lighthouse heritage alive…
…
continue reading
Welcome to KEEPING WATCH - a fortnightly podcast for anyone and everyone interested in lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation. KEEPING WATCH is brought to you in association with the ALK - The Association of Lighthouse Keepers - a membership organisation and charitable trust in the UK dedicated to keepi…
…
continue reading
1
Meeting former lighthouse keeper Neil Hargreaves
35:14
35:14
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35:14
Thank for joining us - and welcome to KEEPING WATCH - a fortnightly podcast for anyone and everyone interested in lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation. KEEPING WATCH is brought to you in association with the ALK - The Association of Lighthouse Keepers - a membership organisation and charitable trust i…
…
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