BBC News | WALES | Lighthouse on sale for Ł1

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Wednesday, 16 February, 2000, 20:23 GMT

Lighthouse on sale for Ł1

A Victorian lighthouse off the south Wales coast has been put on sale for just Ł1.

The 100-year-old cast iron Whiteford Point lighthouse is being sold off by Llanelli's Coastal Millennium Park in a bid to save it from crumbling into the sea.

It is expected work to restore the 130-ft high lighthouse could set back a prospective Ł100,000 in repair bills.

Listed as an ancient monument, it was formerly used for bomb practice during World War II and a detailed survey will be required to discover if there are any unexploded bombs at the base of the lighthouse.

Its ornate Victorian design makes Whiteford Point a unique maritime monument.

It was last in commission in 1926 and has lain empty since.

It features only one room and no running water and would not be suited for living in, explained Gerald Phillips from Millennium Coastal Park.

"It cannot be a lighthouse again," said Mr Phillips.

"Its function would be purely as a structure. I have had telephone calls from people wanting to live there, but that really is not on."

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