Archive interview with lighthouse keeper Jim Bowling from 1988
Release Date: 09/02/2023
Two Lighthouse Lives: Tony Mills & Annie Spencer
Keeping Watch
In this special end-of-season episode, we bring you two very different — but equally captivating — lighthouse stories. Tony Mills – From the Tower to the Pulpit Ed and Mel talk with Tony Mills, a former Trinity House lighthouse keeper who served in the early 1970s on stations including: The Lizard Longships Round Island South Bishop Tony shares vivid memories of boat and helicopter reliefs, terrifying storms, and late-night fog signals — plus a few unexpected mishaps. He recalls polished brass handrails, paraffin-powered fridges, and makeshift washing routines. And just when...
info_outline
Lighthouse Legacy through the lens: Photographer Conor Gault
Keeping Watch
In this week's episode of Keeping Watch, Ed and Mel discuss a lighthouse Banksy in Marseilles, before Mel interviews Scottish photographer Conor Gault, who is on a mission to photograph every living Scottish lighthouse keeper and the lighthouses where they served. Conor's heartfelt project is rooted in his family history, his Grandfather having served as a keeper himself. He talks about the artistic process of capturing his images on large-format film, and the emotional stories behind the photos. You can see Conor's photographs and find out more about the project at his website: Key...
info_outline
Exploring Lighthouse Legends: An Interview with Jeremy D'Entremont
Keeping Watch
In this episode of Keeping Watch, hosts Ed Peppitt and Melanie Charles bring you up to date with a roundup of lighthouse news. We welcome special guest Jeremy D'Entremont, a renowned author, historian, and host of the US Lighthouse Society's 'Lighthearted' podcast. They discuss various lighthouse-related topics, including Jeremy's extensive career, Scottish lighthouse keeper projects, lighthouse history, and personal stories from lighthouse keepers around the world. This informative episode also explores Jeremy's passion for lighthouses, key moments from his podcast, and the enduring...
info_outline
Lighthouses on television with engineer and tv presenter Rob Bell
Keeping Watch
In this week's episode of Keeping Watch, Ed and Mel discuss the community protests against the automation of St John's Point Lighthouse in Northern Ireland, and the recent cliff falls close to Belle Tout in Sussex. This week's special guest, engineer and television presenter Rob Bell, joins Ed to talk about his fascination with lighthouses and the challenges of producing his three series of lighthouse programs. They discuss the logistics and challenges of filming at remote locations, the allure and difficulty of capturing such engineering marvels, and Rob's personal reflections...
info_outline
Paranormal Phenomena in Lighthouses - With Mark Lewis
Keeping Watch
This week's episode of Keeping Watch, hosted by Ed Peppitt and Melanie Charles, features a captivating discussion with Mark Lewis, the ALK Education Officer, on lighthouses and the paranormal. Mark shares his exploration of ghost stories, folklore, and scientific explanations related to paranormal phenomena in lighthouses around the world. Ed and Mel also talk about last weekend's ALK Digital Archive weekend at Bidston Hill Lighthouse. Key moments 01:05 Lighthouses and the Paranormal 01:25 Weekend at Bidston Observatory 04:53 Digital Archiving Adventures 07:46 Lighthouse News: Long Ships...
info_outline
Life as a lighthouse keeper's wife - Louise Medlicott
Keeping Watch
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...
info_outline
A Lighthouse Keeper's story - Gordon Medlicott
Keeping Watch
This week, Ed and Mel talk about the various lighthouse tours and events planned by the Association of Lighthouse Keepers (ALK) for 2025 - including the Isle of Wight, Cornwall, Anglesey and Kent. They also talk with former lighthouse keeper Gordon Medlicott, whose career with Trinity House spanned 32 years, from 1966 to 1998. Gordon regales us with stories from his time in the service, including Gordon's personal interaction with Prince Philip during a special Thanksgiving dinner for lighthouse keepers. Key moments 00:00 Welcome to Season 3 of Keeping...
info_outline
A Keeper's Legacy: Our Tribute to Ian Duff
Keeping Watch
This episode pays tribute to Ian Duff, former lighthouse keeper and President of the Association of Lighthouse Keepers (ALK), who passed away in November. We share heartfelt memories and stories from Ian's friends, colleagues, and fellow ALK members. Ian's remarkable career spanned from 1976 to 1992, during which he served at numerous Scottish lighthouses. The episode also highlights Ian's deep love for lighthouses, his iconic red jacket adorned with lighthouse patches, and his invaluable contributions to lighthouse history and preservation. Ian shares his own...
info_outline
Robert Fong from the Museum of the Gulf Coast
Keeping Watch
In this episode of Keeping Watch, hosts Ed Peppitt and Melanie Charles discuss new lighthouse stories in the news, including the twinning of the Mull of Galloway Lighthouse in Stranraer with the Inubosaki Lighthouse in Japan, and the discovery of a 132-year-old message in a bottle at Corsewall Lighthouse. Mel interviews Robert Fong, curator of the Museum of the Gulf Coast in Texas, about the history, challenges, and unique characteristics of three lighthouses in Texas: Sabine Bank, Sabine Pass, and Bolivar Point. We also pay tribute to the late Ian Duff, the Association of...
info_outline
Automation and redundancy: Gerald Butler reflects
Keeping Watch
In this episode of 'Keeping Watch,' Ed Peppitt and co-host Melanie Charles talk about some of the mysterious and spooky lighthouse tales, including the tragic story of Henry Hall at Eddystone, the eerie Flannan Islands mystery, and a death on Smalls. Ed meets up at Galley Head lighthouse to talk with former keeper Gerald Butler about the impact of automation on keepers and their families. Gerald reflects on his transition from lighthouse keeper to fisherman and beyond, sharing personal anecdotes about the meaningful aspects of lighthouse life and the changes brought by automation....
info_outlineWelcome to Episode 3 of the second season of KEEPING WATCH - a fortnightly podcast for enthusiasts of lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation.
This week I’m really pleased to be able to share with you a wonderful BBC Radio Kent interview from 1988 with Jim Bowling, who was then principal lighthouse keeper at North Foreland lighthouse.
This was Jim’s final posting before he retired, following a 47 year career as a lighthouse keeper with Trinity House. It was Jim’s son Colin who got in touch to lend us a recording of the interview, and he also managed to find a separate recording of Jim giving a guided tour of North Foreland at around the same time.
The full interview on YouTube:
Part 1: https://youtu.be/Z6WLXUbXwhE
Part 2: https://youtu.be/_sizpJiv4Lo
Part 3: https://youtu.be/3Xgw2NcXfVA
I don’t know what you think, but to me Jim sounds like such an honourable and gentle man - and I would have loved to have met him. I mentioned that his son Colin also found me a recording of Jim conducting a guided tour of North Foreland some time in the late 1980s.
Although the quality of the recording itself isn’t great, it’s still a fascinating record of how the lighthouse operated at that time. So please bear with the echo and background noise, and listen to Jim showing visitors around his lighthouse.
Since he got in touch I met up with Colin and his lovely wife Lin - and we talked about his childhood and upbringing in various lighthouses - including a stint at St Mary’s lighthouse, on the north east coast, where he became a national news story as the boy who could only attend school when the tide was out. He also shared his own memories of his father - including when Jim and assistant keeper Arthur Holmes were paid a visit from a Page 3 glamour model for a Daily Star article about people who have to work over Christmas.
You’ll be pleased to learn that I recorded our conversation, and you can hear it in the next episode of the podcast.
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