End of another era!

Many of you will be familiar with the beautiful little lighthouse at Orfordness in Suffolk. For 230 years it's squatted on the edge of the North Sea, warning navigators of the treacherous shoals and shifting sands but, because of the erosion of the spit upon which it stands, it is currently being demolished.

To students of the UFO phenomenon, the lighthouse has its own special place in history: debunkers have frequently identified it as the flashing light that Colonel Charles Halt and his security team investigated in Rendlesham Forest in December, 1980. It is a surprising fact that the top of the tower can be seen from the extreme eastern edge of the forest - and indeed from the lookout tower at Woodbridge Airbase. However, the airmen were entirely familiar with the lighthouse and its pin-prick beam: the explanation just doesn't hold water and was proposed and championed by cynical author Ian Ridpath.

Sad to see this familiar and historical landmark destroyed: seems a shame that funding couldn't have been found to relocate more of it than just the top section. The photo of the demolition in progress is courtesy of wonderful Suffolk photographer John Richardson.