Belle Tout Lighthouse uses Teknos exterior joinery coating to withstand the harsh elements at Beachy Head.

The iconic 177 year old Belle Tout Lighthouse which sits high on the cliffs above the sea at Beachy Head, Eastbourne, Sussex (UK), was purchased by private owner David Shaw in 2008. David immediately set about an extensive renovation programme to convert the historic building into an exclusive and unique guesthouse.

With the exception of the metal windows around the top of the tower where the lamp was once housed, the remaining existing windows were of timber construction in a mixture of styles and timber species and were generally in very poor condition, letting in both wind and rain; they were also inefficient in terms of energy conservation as they were mainly single glazed.

Following discussions with the Local Authority Planning and Conservation Department, Mr Shaw decided to replace all of the windows. Bearing in mind the age and location of the building, the local Conservation Officer expressed a preference for the replacement windows to be timber. Mr Shaw was keen to commission a UK based manufacturer, ideally local to Sussex.

Accoya® wood windows with a Teknos coating was the ideal solution for Mr Shaw in this extreme environment.

A recent review 2.5 years after the window and door installation showed there was no signs of rot or decay or coating degradation in this ever-changing tough climate