Lighthouses were, and to some extent still are, of immense strategic significance for any maritime nation. Yet despite their importance they have been comparatively little studied. Some lighthouses, such as the Eddystone or Bell Rock have been studied extensively from the point of view of structural and civil engineering. But there are thousands of others around the world equally deserving of study.

Furthermore, elements of lighthouse design such as the source of illumination and their optical arrangements have only recently begun to receive proper historical attention, whilst the whole issue of fog signals has hardly been touched. Because of what has been required to develop lighthouse technology, they also provide valuable case studies of how scientific knowledge and engineering practice intersect with their social and political functions.

In the social history of lighthouses, we need studies of the psychology of lighthouse keepers, the administration and finance of the wide variety of lighthouse authorities that have and continue to exist and the role of lighthouses in consolidating the imperial ambitions of the European powers during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

This discussion group is intended to promote all aspects of the history of lighthouse technology in any time period and geographical location.

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