There's a lighthouse in the middle of Salford and it's 30 miles from the coast
Whether it's the Great Pyramid of Giza or the Hanging Gardens of Babylon - some things here on earth may never be explained. Thankfully, one of the great modern mysteries of Salford can.
If you've ever taken an idyllic stroll alongside the Bridgewater Canal running through Monton, you will likely have been stopped by an unexpected vision. I'm talking, of course, about the lighthouse standing next to the banks, 30 miles from the nearest coast.
You may have wondered about its origins. Perhaps it had been taken from some rocky northern shore and rebuilt brick-by-brick or, at one time, been used to guide vessels carrying freight from the River Mersey to the Manchester Ship Canal that had wandered off course. But neither of these explanations are accurate.
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The answer to such oddities is, as so often is the case, found in life's eccentrics. In this case, Phil Austin, also known as "Barnacle".
These days, the lighthouse is a local landmark and a tourist attraction. But the attraction has only been there for just over 20 years.
Phil spent three-and-a-half years working on the lighthouse as a weekend retreat. In 2005, the eccentric Salfordian spoke to the M.E.N., revealing why he built the 36-foot lighthouse overlooking the moorings at Monton.
Phil sold his canal barge to pay for his folly, which was fitted with a light to cast a beam on Monton Green. The lighthouse has four floors, the top of which has a 360-degree view.
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Speaking to the M.E.N back in 2005, Phil said: "I thought it would be a wonderful idea, and it has all stemmed from that. It is a great place of interest and a fun place to sit and watch the world go by.
"The light will be there as a token. Residents don't need to worry; it won't be flashing all the time, just on special occasions."
In a later interview, Phil revealed that in the beginning, not everyone understood his mind-boggling project.
"When I first advised the planning department of my vision for the lighthouse, they thought I was having them on," he said.
"However, once people realised how serious and determined I was, they were very supportive. It's too small to live in, so I will use it as a weekend retreat."
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Phil also said his family was as bewildered by his lighthouse as the passing narrowboat crews. "They quite like the idea now, but initially, they thought I was crazy," he said.
Phil revealed he had always been fascinated by lighthouses and thought the building would be a fun way of making a once-derelict site ship shape.
Soon after building the lighthouse, he received an award from the drink brand Tango. In the early part of the Noughties, the Tango Great Britons award, which came with £500 and a year's supply of Tango, was given to the nation's true eccentrics. Few would doubt Phil's credentials after building his folly.
This week, the M.E.N spoke with Phil, now 84, who lives in a two-bedroom bungalow next to the lighthouse he also built himself. When asked if he could believe that the lighthouse has stood for 20 years, he said he couldn't and that he'd "still got cement" down his fingernails.
He added: "I thought a few times about selling it - and I've had it valued a few times - and it did surprise me how much I'm worth theoretically. But then I ask myself, where would you rather live? There isn't anywhere."
Asked what changes he had made over the years, Phil said: "It's more-or-less as it was. I haven't actually finished it yet, and if you knew me, you'd realise why I hadn't finished it yet. I don't do anything quickly.
"I've had lots of plans for the inside, but I find if I have an idea, if I think about it for three days, I forget it."
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He now admits to using the lighthouse mostly for storage, but he said he still had a vision for it that he dreamed of realising one day.
"My original dream was to make it my 'stairway to heaven'. The ground floor would be an underwater scene with fish and things swimming. And you go up a spiral staircase to the next floor, which would be the land and houses and things.
"Then up the next spiral staircase to the third floor which would be the sky with fleets of birds flying and clouds and suns. And the top floor would be the moon and the stars painted on the wall. I've had one or two quotes for doing it, and frankly, they must think I'm a millionaire."