>> Click to enlarge << A helicopter makes a delivery to Royal Sovereign ...

Trinity House, the organization that oversees the lighthouses of England, has announced that the Royal Sovereign Lighthouse is being decommissioned and will be demolished in 2020.

>> Click to enlarge << Close-up view of the Royal Sovereign Lighthouse, ...

The 115-foot-tall lighthouse officially went into service on September 6, 1971 to replace a lightship that had been stationed at the site since 1875. It marks the Royal Sovereign Shoal in southeastern England about seven miles off the coast of the community of Eastbourne.

>> Click to enlarge << The cramped kitchen at Royal Sovereign Lighthouse ...

Trinity House officials have stated that the lighthouse is in a rapid stated of deterioration and needs to be demolished for the safety of the mariners. To compensate for its removal, a longer range light will be placed in the nearby Beachy Head Lighthouse and the beacon of the offshore Royal Sovereign CS2 Buoy will be strengthened.

>> Click to enlarge << A lighthouse keeper cleaning the lens at the ...

>> Click to enlarge << The Royal Sovereign Lighthouse as it was under ...