Lighthouses in England
The coast of England is a great place to find lighthouses. While they are less remote than many of those in Scotland, they still provide protection over rugged and wild coastlines. There are over 80 active lighthouses around the coast of England and a further 50 or so lighthouses that are now inactive but still standing.
WHO OWN’S THE LIGHTHOUSES IN ENGLAND?
All of the operational lighthouses are owned and operated by Trinity House (England, Wales, Channel Islands and Gibraltar). However, since automation, many lighthouse buildings are now privately owned with just the tower itself being owned by the operators. Many of the decommissioned lighthouses are now in private hands with no involvement from Trinity House.
CAN I GO UP A LIGHTHOUSE?
There are a number of lighthouses that you can go up in England. Some are open daily while others have special open days during the year. Lighthouses in England that you can climb include Flamborough Head in Yorkshire, Portland Bill in Dorset and North Foreland in Kent.
CAN I STAY IN A LIGHTHOUSE?
All of the English lighthouses have been automated since 1998. This has led to endless possibilities for staying in lighthouses. Now they are automated, lighthouse keepers are not needed and their cottages are now being used as stunning holiday cottages and private homes. Staying in a lighthouse tower is a little more difficult as they are still working structures but just to stay in the grounds where the keepers lived is an experience not to be missed.
WHICH ARE THE OLDEST LIGHTHOUSES IN ENGLAND?
The oldest lighthouse in England is still visible on the grounds of Dover Castle and is believed to have been built by the Romans around 183 AD.
Flamborough Head lighthouse is the oldest surviving lighthouse still in operation in England. It was first established in 1669 and has evolved since then. The original chalk tower is still in existence just a short walk from the more modern Flamborough Head Lighthouse.
Eddystone lighthouse was the world’s first stone tower at sea, built in 1756-9
WHERE IS THE TALLEST ENGLISH LIGHTHOUSE?
Eddystone and Bishop Rock are the tallest lighthouses in England at 49 metres. They are both located on offshore rocks in the South West of England.
WHICH IS THE SHORTEST LIGHTHOUSE IN ENGLAND?
The shortest lighthouse Berry Head Lighthouse in Devon. This is a tiny 5-metre tall. However, the cliffs it sits on are over 50 metres. This means that the shortest lighthouse is also one of the highest!
LIGHTS AND AUTOMATION
Souter Lighthouse was the first to be built in the world for electric power. It is dominant with its red and white stripes at the entrance to the Tyne and Wear Rivers.
Walney Island Lighthouse, off Barrow in Furness in Cumbria, was Britain’s last lighthouse to be automated in 2003.
The automation of North Foreland Lighthouse in Kent in 1998 marked the end of lighthouse keepers in the U.K. although some still remain as custodians of the lighthouses.
FUN ENGLISH LIGHTHOUSE FACTS
Souter Lighthouse in Marsden South Tyneside is said to be haunted.
St. Anthony’s lighthouse in Cornwall featured in the opening credits of the Fraggle Rock television show, a Jim Henson creation from the 1980s.
