{"id":55985,"title":"Brina, the Lighthouse-Tree of New Brighton","description":"From the Greengatherer\u2019s JournalNew Brighton has a lighthouse.  This is not difficult to establish.  It stands at Perch Rock, where it has been photographed, painted, pointed towards and included in more seaside views than I could ever count","content":"

From the Greengatherer\u2019s Journal<\/strong><\/p>

New Brighton has a lighthouse.<\/p>

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This is not difficult to establish.<\/p>

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It stands at Perch Rock, where it has been photographed, painted, pointed towards and included in more seaside views than I could ever count.<\/p>

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There is only one.<\/p>

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I mention this because of Brina.<\/p>

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\"csh7n5gbff6knp4uhjnnikjyk6pbougd018l3viih1ttn58y.jpg.jpg?w=1140&project=beastly-boroughs-416041&v=2\"<\/p>

She stands back from the shore, where the salt air reaches her branches and the lighthouse can be seen beyond the open water.<\/p>

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By daylight, nobody would mistake one for the other.<\/p>

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After dark, apparently, things become less straightforward.<\/p>

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The Second Light<\/strong><\/p>

I first heard about it from a man walking his dog.<\/p>

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We had stopped near Brina one winter afternoon, although for entirely different reasons. I was looking at the tree.<\/p>

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He was waiting for his dog to finish looking at something considerably less interesting.<\/p>

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\u201cThat's the lighthouse tree,\u201d he said.<\/p>

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I asked him why.<\/p>

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He pointed towards Perch Rock.<\/p>

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\u201cSometimes there's two.\u201d<\/p>

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Then he walked away.<\/p>

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This was not enough information.<\/p>

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After Dark<\/strong><\/p>

I returned that evening.<\/p>

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The promenade was quieter. Across the water, Liverpool had become a scatter of lights, while the lighthouse stood dark against what remained of the sky.<\/p>

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Brina was little more than a silhouette.<\/p>

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I waited.<\/p>

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Nothing happened.<\/p>

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I waited somewhat longer.<\/p>

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Still nothing.<\/p>

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Eventually I began to suspect that the dog walker had enjoyed himself at my expense.<\/p>

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Then something moved amongst Brina's branches.<\/p>

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A pale light appeared.<\/p>

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Just once.<\/p>

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It was small and distant-looking, although the tree stood only a short way from me.<\/p>

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Then it disappeared.<\/p>

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I looked towards the lighthouse.<\/p>

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Then back at Brina.<\/p>

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One lighthouse.<\/p>

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One tree.<\/p>

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Exactly as there should be.<\/p>

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Again<\/strong><\/p>

The light appeared a second time.<\/p>

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Higher now.<\/p>

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For perhaps two seconds it seemed to hang amongst the upper branches.<\/p>

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I walked towards Brina.<\/p>

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It vanished.<\/p>

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I stepped backwards.<\/p>

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Nothing.<\/p>

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I moved sideways.<\/p>

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Still nothing.<\/p>

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There are few dignified ways for a Greengatherer to walk backwards and sideways around a tree in the dark.<\/p>

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Fortunately, nobody seemed to be watching.<\/p>

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Then I looked towards the water.<\/p>

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The light appeared again.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

For one peculiar moment there seemed to be a pale point amongst Brina's branches and another farther out towards Perch Rock.<\/p>

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Two lights.<\/p>

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Then a car passed behind me.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Its headlights swept across the promenade.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Brina became an ordinary tree.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

The Lighthouse-Tree<\/strong><\/p>

The following morning I returned in full daylight.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

I examined the branches for anything reflective.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

There was nothing obvious.<\/p>

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No glass.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

No metal.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Nothing that should catch distant light in quite the way I had seen.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

That doesn't mean there wasn't an explanation.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

New Brighton has plenty of lights after dark. Cars pass. Windows reflect. Water catches brightness and sends it somewhere unexpected.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Perhaps one of those things gave Brina her second light.<\/p>

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But I've since discovered that the dog walker was not the only person to have seen it.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Descriptions vary.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Some say it appears amongst the branches.<\/p>

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Some say it can only be seen from farther along the promenade.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

One woman told me I was looking in the wrong place entirely.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

When I asked where the right place was, she said:<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cYou'll know when you see it.\u201d<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

This was not especially helpful.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

I still visit Brina occasionally after dark.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Usually I see a tree and a lighthouse.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Once or twice, I have seen something else.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

I have never discovered why she is called the Lighthouse-Tree.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

But I no longer think the name is simply because she stands near one.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

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