The academic Anthony Bryer gave the most poetic description of the solitary lighthouse fanatic. “He is harmless,” he wrote, “but there is no denying it: the pharologist is obsessive. ‘Occulting white every three second, light 1.5 seconds, visible four miles’ is a spell that reflects the authentic gleam of mania is his eye.”
That was in the 1970s, before the internet was around to bring once isolated enthusiasts together. Now there is a clutch of magazines: Lamp, Leading Lights, the Lighthouse Digest, offering “mystery lighthouse” competitions and articles with titles such as A Shining Example at South Foreland.

Lighthouse merchandise is a growing business, as seen at sites like Lighthouse Depot Online (“Build your own lighthouse watch!”).

But commerce hasn’t driven out enthusiasts such as Bob and Sandra Shanklin — who call themselves the Lighthouse People. Having photographed their first lighthouse on honeymoon in New England, they have now taken pictures of all 670 in America including Alaska and Hawaii. According to Bob: “Lighthouses are a virus with no cure.” Royal or not, that way madness lies.