Hook Lighthouse in a South Wales garden

November 1981

The pride and joy of Mr Leonard Marsh is a six foot tall working model of the Hook Lighthouse in his back garden.

It has caused him to become something of a celebrity in his neighbourhood and many people have come to see the model.

But the odd thing is that Leonard Marsh is a Yorkshire man and the model of Wexford’s most famous lighthouse is in his garden in Neath, South Wales.

‘When I saw the lighthouse for the first time twenty-five years ago, I decided that I wanted to build a model of it,’ he said in Wexford this week, during a short holiday.

His first introduction to the landmark came through his wife Nora, who is formerly Nora Banville, Fethard on Sea. And its magnificence captivated him.

His modelling skill has not been lost on local authorities in Glamorgan. Local councillors who heard about the lighthouse asked him to build a similar model in a town park.

It took about seven months to build the model. Fishermen from The Hook donated net markers to place in front of the lighthouse.

Every night now, Leonard Marsh turns a switch in his home at Christopher Road, and the Skewen District of Neath is lit up with light from The Hook lighthouse.