Could anything have been done for Wyre Light?

Margaret Daniels and fellow members of Fleetwood Civic Society tried to put together a funding bid to the National Lottery Fund last year to try and save Wyre Light, a rare 19th century screwpile lighthouse which was all-but destroyed by fire in 1948.

The Civic Society hoped Lottery funds could shore up the crumbling remnants or even restore the lighthouse to its former glory but needed first to establish who owned it.

Despite claims by some that Wyre Council was the owner, the authority insisted the iconic structure was not part of its property portfolio, while Associated British Ports and lighthouse authority Trinity House also denied ownership.

With clear evidence that Wyre Light was literally on its last legs, the Civic Society could only stand by helplessly as the ruins declined still further - and last Wednesday the top part of the structure fell in on itself, leaving just a gaunt stump.

Mrs Daniels said: “It’s very sad, Wyre Light was a historic building for Fleetwood and was worth preserving. We did try and get it listed by Natural England but they didn’t think it was worth it.”

Wyre Light, designed by blind Belfast engineer, Alexander Mitchell, was the first screwpile lighthouse anywhere in the world when it was built nearly two miles off Fleetwood in 1840. It became one of three lighthouses serving the town, making Fleetwood unique. But after the fire its role became peripheral.

On Facebook, Fleetwood residents expressed regret about the latest collapse.