**A Tale from the Deep: The Smalls Lighthouse Tragedy**
Imagine being stranded alone on a remote Welsh lighthouse in the early 1800s, with only a deceased colleague for company. This haunting tale inspired the gripping 2019 film, “The Lighthouse,” featuring Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson, but the real story is even more chilling.
Back in 1801, lighthouse keepers Thomas Howell and Thomas Griffith found themselves isolated on The Smalls Rock, 20 miles off the Pembrokeshire coast. Their duty? Keep the lighthouse lamp glowing and maintain its solitary structure amidst the furious Irish Sea. But when Griffith tragically died after a mysterious illness, Howell had to find a way to cope with his distressing circumstances.
Afraid that disposing of the body could lead to murder accusations, Howell kept Griffith’s corpse inside their cramped living space. As decomposition set in, he crafted a makeshift coffin from dismantled wooden planks, securing it outside the lighthouse. Despite his efforts, violent storms tore the coffin apart, leaving Griffith’s body lashed to the railings and eerily waving in the wind.
For four gruelling months, Howell maintained the lighthouse, keeping its light shining against nature’s fury, while sharing his lonely confinement with the decaying remains of Griffith. When rescue finally arrived, they found Howell a mere shadow of his former self, with tell-tale signs of mental and physical torment.
This grisly episode became the turning point for lighthouse safety in the UK, leading to a change in policy that required at least three keepers to prevent such solitude-triggered horrors.
The story of the Smalls Lighthouse may be centuries old, but its chilling echoes can still be felt today – a gloomy reminder of the perils faced by those who once guarded our shores. 🌊🏴☠️✨