The three experimental lighthouses erected to test lighthouse fuels. 1884

Black and white photograph showing St Margaret’s Bay and beach and the South Foreland Valley. The hillsides are bare with no tree cover. Many new trees were planted after this time to give the valley a more attractive appearance for new residents.
The Coastguard cottages at Bay Hill, which were finished in 1884, can just be seen at the top right of the photo.
On the brow of the hill near to the South Foreland Lighthouse three wooden towers can just be seen. These were erected by Trinity House in 1884 to test different fuels under the advice of Professor Tyndall. The three fuels tested were electricity, oil and gas. Observations were then made under varying conditions from both the sea, by a Trinity House steamer and passing vessels, and from three test huts set up on the Downs at distances of a quarter of a mile, a mile and 4 miles.
It was decided that for ordinary requirements mineral oil was superior to gas in being more suitable and economical to install and maintain, but for important headlands, where a powerful beam was necessary, electricity, in spite of its expense, was absolutely the best light.
The South Foreland Lighthouse was the first lighthouse in the world to be powered permanently by electric light, this having been installed before these experiments in 1872.