Eddystone Light

Off the coast of England is a treacherous area called Eddystone Rocks. There’s been a lighthouse here to warn ships of the danger since the seventeenth century. Actually, there have been four lighthouses. The first, a wooden structure, was built by a man named Winstanley. He was in the process of adding stone exterior walls in 1703 when a storm erased the entire lighthouse. And Mr. Winstanley. The second lighthouse burned to the ground. The third structure was solidly built, but the rock under it became so badly eroded that the tower wobbled when waves hit. The present Eddystone Light has been standing and shining since 1882. There is a silly sea shanty called Eddystone Light that warns against fraternizing with mermaids. It makes me smile to think of a lighthouse with its very own song, as well as its own quilt block.