Photograph taken in 1875, divulging the existence of military defences on Flat Holm - The History of Flat Holm Lighthouse , by Captain W. R. Chaplin was published within The American Neptune, A Quarterly Journal of Maritime History within Vol. XX in early 1960. [1321] [499] It consists of around 40 pages of the history of the lighthouse and the island and is extremely detailed - a good read indeed! Captain Chaplin writes:

The fort on Flat Holm must have been well known far beyond the locality, and in fact, the complaints made of the damage caused by concussion when the guns were fired for practice certainly made it so. Nevertheless, its existence was an official secret, and the following now amusing story is told by an old resident of Weston.

About the year 1875, his father, a commercial photographer, visited Flat Holm to take a photograph of the lighthouse for the purpose of sale. Having selected a suitable position which happened to have one of the gun pits in the foreground, he suggested to the gunner that the muzzle-loader be raised in order to give some added interest to the picture.

When the photograph came to the notice of the military authorities the unfortunate gunner was reprimanded and the sale of the photograph immediately suppressed. This picture is now reproduced with little risk of divulging an official secret! It is a recent contact print from the original negative, and therefore a tribute to the preservation of a photo negative of eighty years ago.

Mr. William Robert Chaplin [1863-1943] was Warden of Trinity House and in addition a prolific author whom described Flat Holm Island in a book entitled 'The Somerset Coast' published in 1909: [1326] [499]

The name, 'Holm' is Norse for 'island,' and remains evidence of the Danish descent upon these coasts in A.D. 882.

Flat Holm is geographically and politically in South Wales, is the property of the Marquess of Bute, and is situated in the parish of St. Mary, Cardiff. Once a year the vicar and curate of St. Mary's visit the island and hold service in the barracks. Four batteries are situated on the island : the Castle Rock, Farm, Lighthouse and Well batteries. The tall white lighthouse that shows up so prominently from the shore at Weston is situated on Flat Holm, and rises to a height of a hundred and fifty-six feet.

A singular phenomenon obscured the light in February 1902, when a shower of sticky whitish-grey mud fell and completely covered the lantern. Scientific men explained this happening as due to a portion of a dust-shower driving from the Sahara, and being converted into mud by the Channel mists. A day's hard work was necessary before the glass was properly cleaned.

A light was first shown here in 1737, when it consisted of a brazier of burning coals ; no very effectual beacon on foggy nights. Nor was it greatly improved by the early years of the nineteenth century, for it was then still possible for such disasters as that of the William and Mary to happen. This unfortunate ship was wrecked in 1817, between Flat Holm and Lavernock Point, which marks the extremity of Brean Down ; and sixty lives were then lost.

The present light, of the occulting variety, has a power of 50,000 candles, and is visible for eighteen miles.

The total population of Flat Holm is twenty. Here is an inn. There are two fresh-water springs on the island.

According to the book 'The British Pharos ; or a list of the Lighthouses on the Coasts of Great Britain and Ireland' published in 1831 by Alan Stevenson (1807-1865) [1340] [499] : -

FLATHOLM LIGHT.

Situate on the island of Flatholm, in the Bristol Channel, 20 leagues E. S. E. ½ E. from Lundy Island lights.

This light is stationary, appearing like a star of the first magnitude, at the distance of four or five leagues, according to the state of the atmosphere.