Having had a short break to enjoy the August sunshine, our early September outing was to the Corporation of Trinity House of Deptford Strond, also known as Trinity House, which is the official authority for lighthouses in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar. Trinity House is also responsible for the provision and maintenance of other navigational aids, such as lightvessels, buoys, and maritime radio/satellite communication systems and is an official deep sea pilotage authority, providing expert navigators for ships trading in Northern European waters
Our wonderful guide told us so much about the history of Trinity House, including that it is a maritime charity, and I was fascinated to learn that, during WW1, the corporation served a number of functions: it buoyed shipping lanes and naval operations, moved lightvessels, and laid hundreds of buoys. During the Second World War, Trinity House kept sea lanes marked and lighted for Allied convoys. The Pilotage Service guided ships to their ports under hazardous conditions; at the time of the Dunkirk evacuation, a number of pilots helped in piloting vessels to and from the beaches. In preparation for the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, Trinity House laid 73 lighted buoys and two lightvessels to indicate a safe route for landing craft. Trinity House pilots were responsible for all commercial vessels involved and many of the service vessels. In the month following D-Day, nearly 3,000 vessels were handled by 88 river pilots and nearly 2,000 ships by 115 sea pilots working day and night.
And I had the privilege of ringing the Trinity Bell!
Having been restored by a lovely cup of coffee on arrival, and having had a glorious hour and a half at the House, we left ready for lunch, which we enjoyed just around the corner at the Corn Exchange on Mark Lane. The company, as always, was hugely enjoyable and the hour or so over lunch passed very companionably.
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