The Trinity House Story: One of Britain’s best-kept secrets

Event details

York Society of Engineers Lecture

Have you ever wondered who looks after the major lighthouses around England, Wales and the Channel Islands? How did they come to be there in the first place? Incorporated by Royal Charter by Henry VIII in 1514, Trinity House is today a vital part of Britain’s maritime community. In addition to owning and operating lighthouses, lightvessels, beacons and buoys to keep safe all mariners at sea around our shores, Trinity House is called in to mark - and clear if required - wrecks, help develop state of the art electronic navigation tools for vessels of all sizes to overcome the vulnerabilities of GPS, and to act as Nautical Assessors in Admiralty Court cases.

Add to that a sizeable maritime fraternity which regularly advises on current maritime issues and future opportunities, and a charitable side that donates in excess of £5m a year to worthy maritime causes, and you start to get a picture of Trinity House. Then add cadet schemes to train future Merchant Navy mariners and leisure seafarers, alms-houses for the use of retired mariners, holidays in converted lighthouses and even public tours and private receptions offered in its stunning historical London HQ on Tower Hill. HRH The Princess Royal is the Master of the Corporation.

Captain Matt Easton is a Chartered Master Mariner and a Fellow of the Nautical Institute. He was awarded the Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service (2019). He is also a Senior Liverpool Pilot, Chair of the International Users Group of International Standards of Pilot Organisations (ISPO), Younger Brethren Trinity House, and Chair of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners Technical & Education Committee. As a Trinity House Ambassador, Matt will tell the story of Trinity House and answer your questions.

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