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 lighthouse keeper.

The episode also features exciting news about potential access to Dungeness (new) Lighthouse for ALK members, and a brief nod to Anna B Savage's achingly haunting new single called Lighthouse.

Key moments

01:33 Melanie's Tenerife Lighthouse Adventures
06:59 The Ugliest Lighthouse in the World
08:37 Exciting Lighthouse News
12:37 Interview with a Lighthouse Keeper's Wife
17:28 Life on the Lighthouse Station
25:55 Life with the Fog Signal
26:43 Challenges of Living Above the Engine Room
28:03 Moving Back to Society
29:09 Children's Perspective on Lighthouse Life
31:30 Female Lighthouse Keepers
37:33 Rumors of Death and Acts of Heroism
44:27 Concluding Reflections and Farewell

KEEPING WATCH is a fortnightly podcast for enthusiasts of lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation.

We’re keen to talk with other former light vessel and lighthouse keepers and crew - as well as others currently working in the lighthouse service. Again, you can email me at alksoutheast@gmail.com.

Please spread the word to friends and family who might be interested in listening. And do like, follow or subscribe to this podcast so that you are notified when each new episode is published. A comment or a splendid review on your podcast platform of choice would be very welcome and really helps us to get noticed.

If you have an idea for a story you'd like us to cover, or an interesting person with a lighthouse connection we might interview, do please drop me a line. Or perhaps you are a fellow enthusiast and would like to contribute to the podcast either once or on a regular basis?

You can contact me at alksoutheast@gmail.com.

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.

Visit the Association of Lighthouse Keepers:
www.alk.org.uk