Welcome to KEEPING WATCH - a fortnightly podcast for anyone and everyone interested in lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, light vessels and other aids to maritime navigation. 

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. 

We’ll hear from former lighthouse keepers, authors of books about lighthouses, people born and brought up in lighthouses, archivists, historians and many others interested in lighthouses, their construction, history and service.  

This week I chat with Peter Smith - whose father was the fourth generation of lighthouse keepers in his family - about his childhood spent in lighthouses and keepers accommodation, including stints at Lynmouth Foreland, the Lizard and Hartland Point.

As lighthouses lovers, growing up in a lighthouse might seem idyllic. But what exactly was life like growing up in the lighthouse service? Meet Peter Smith, who did just that.

As you’ll discover it wasn’t always plain sailing, and it certainly didn’t suit every member of his family. I started by asking Peter to tell us about how the family association with lighthouses started, back with his great great grandfather.

Visit the Association of Lighthouse Keepers: www.alk.org.uk

The Pathe News clip Peter mentioned: https://youtu.be/GtcUqt38OLk