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Sussex lighthouses captured in new illustrations as part of five-year project

Sussex lighthouses have been illustrated as part of a new book by Roger O’Reilly <i>(Image: Roger O'Reilly)</i>
Sussex lighthouses have been illustrated as part of a new book by Roger O’Reilly (Image: Roger O'Reilly)

Lighthouses in Sussex have been captured in a new series of print illustrations.

Artist and author Roger O’Reilly has spent the last five years sketching the 350 lighthouses of Britain and Ireland, including at Beachy Head, Newhaven and Eastbourne.

His artwork, which is inspired by the travel posters of the 30s and 40s, is now available to buy from Lighthouse Editions and will be the subject of a book of prints and stories which will go on sale next year.

The Argus: Beachy Head lighthouse
The Argus: Beachy Head lighthouse

Beachy Head lighthouse (Image: Roger O’Reilly)

“I grew up near the mouth of the River Boyne, on Ireland’s East Coast,” said Mr O’Reilly.

“A few minutes from my door were three unusual estuarine lighthouses perched among the sand dunes. Drogheda North, East and West lights were truncated structures that stood like Daleks on stilts, gazing forlornly out to sea and only coming to life as the dusk crept in.

The Argus: Belle Tout lighthouse Beachy Head
The Argus: Belle Tout lighthouse Beachy Head

Belle Tout lighthouse Beachy Head (Image: Roger O’Reilly)

“I didn’t realise it at the time, but they imprinted in me a deep-seated love of lighthouses and all that they represent.”

The project started with a holiday in Cornwall and as his sketchbook filled with studies of harbours and lights on the Cornish and Devon coasts a new idea emerged.

His collection of illustrations now runs to over 350 lighthouses and is still a work in progress.


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