Museum to celebrate the life of Wildfowl and Wetland Trust founder Sir Peter Scott to open at Sutton Bridge Lighthouse, in Lincolnshire
He loved it for its solitude and unrivalled view of the geese that swept in from The Wash. Now a museum commemorating the life of Sir Peter Scott is set to open in his hideaway at the mouth of the Nene.
Doug and Sue Hilton, who bought the Grade II listed lighthouse at Long Sutton last year, have been given planning permission for a visitor centre, cafe and other improvements at the remote Lincolnshire landmark.
'The East Lighthouse is three miles out in the middle of nowhere, there's no proper car parking,' said Mr Hilton.
'Our plans are initially to provide that and something interesting and exciting people can come out to.
'The biggest problem we have at the moment is there are very few places without a second agenda where you can go and access the environment.
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'As Sir Peter Scott knew, you have to get people in touch with the environment.'
Originally built to guide shipping in and out of the mouth of the River Nene in 1826, the lighthouse was the home of the pioneering conservationist Sir Peter Scott during the 1930s.
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It was here that Sir Peter, who would go on to help found the World Wildlife Fund and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, discovered his passion for wildfowl and their migrations to and from our shores.
After leaving Sutton Bridge, he became a pioneer of natural history programmes and a household name, as he tracked the migrations of the pink-footed goose from the Arctic to East Anglia and filmed three decades of the series Look.
In the 1984, the lighthouse was bought by conservationist Commander David Joel, who spent 25 years modernising the 55ft high structure, including connecting it to mains electricity and plumbing for the first time.
Estate agent's details accompanying its most recent sale said: 'It enjoys unrivalled peace and seclusion with the only passing traffic being ships along the river. The house is surrounded by its own mini nature reserve with ponds to attract visiting wildfowl.'
As well as a classroom, cafe and toilets, Mr Hilton said garages at the property would be converted into a museum dedicated to the work of Sir Peter, who died in 1989. It will include prints of some of his celebrated wildfowl paintings. Mr and Mrs Hilton hope work on the �280,000 project will begin next year.
