The Black Beacon

A wide view of the Black Beacon and adjacent buildings at Orford Ness.

Shot with my Olympus Pen f, 17mm at f11, ISO 80, 1/160

The clear blue sky and the multiple greys and browns in the shingle give a good contrast to this image.

The enigmatic Black Beacon building was constructed by local builders WC Reade of Aldeburgh in 1928 for the Royal Aircraft Establishment, to house an experimental ‘rotating loop’ navigation beacon. Part funded by Trinity House and reported to be a marine navigation beacon, the Air Ministry also funded work on the development of an aircraft location system based on this early innovation. The Orford Ness equipment was probably an early homing beacon for aircraft that formed part of this work.

Source: The National Trust