Newhaven Breakwater (Sussex)

In the summer of 1879, the massive job of building Newhaven’s Breakwater began began as the cliffs were dug out by hand with pick axes and shovels and the rubble was used as infill for the promenade.

The Breakwater was built on a base of 100 ton concrete bags that were dropped into the sea by a special steam vessel called the “Trident”. As these 100 ton bags reached the surface, mass concrete was then added to the base, thus enabling the workers to finish the top half and then the arches. All this work probably took the best part of a decade, an amazing achievement considering there was no heavy machinery to aid the construction. The 46 metre cast iron Breakwater lighthouse was then erected in 1891. With a range of 56km and a characteristic of white, occulting twice every 10 seconds.