UK lighthouses – Quick facts
Lighthouses are found all around the coast of the UK. They are essential for the safety of mariners along the coast and are often on the list of places to visit for visitors to an area.
Who Owns The Lighthouses In The UK?
All of the operational lighthouses are owned and operated by Trinity House (England, Wales, Channel Islands and Gibraltar), Northern Lighthouse Board (Scotland and Isle of Man) and Northern Ireland along with the Republic of Ireland are maintained by Commissioners of Irish Lights. However, since automation, many lighthouse buildings are now privately owned with just the tower itself being owned by the operators.
Can I Stay In A Lighthouse?
All of the UK 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.
In Northern Ireland, the Great Lighthouses of Ireland initiative has a collection of lighthouses that have accommodation and visitor centres.
Where Is The Tallest UK Lighthouse?
There is much debate about the tallest UK lighthouses. Skerryvore, Eddystone and Bishops Rock are all within a few metres of each other. The tallest Scottish lighthouse measuring 46 metres is Skerryvore off the Isle of Tiree in the Outer Hebrides. 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. The tallest land-based lighthouse is the stripped North Ronaldsay Lighthouse in the Orkney Islands. This measures 42 metres with 176 steps to the top of the tower.
Which Is The Shortest UK Lighthouse
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!
Oldest Lighthouses
The oldest lighthouse in the UK is still visible on the grounds of Dover Castle and is believed to have been built by the Romans around 183AD.
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.
Kinnaird Head was the first lighthouse to be built on mainland Scotland in 1787.
Eddystone lighthouse was the world’s first stone tower at sea, built in 1756-9
Extreme UK Lighthouse Facts
Most Isolated
The most isolated lighthouse in the British Isles is Sule Skerry, built in 1895. It is situated about 37 miles from the coast of Orkney Mainland in Scotland.
Most Northerly UK Lighthouse
The most northerly lighthouse is Muckle Flugga just off the coast of Unst in the north of Shetland. The most northerly mainland lighthouse is found at Dunnet Head between Thurso and Wick.
Furthest South
The most southerly lighthouse on the UK mainland is at Lizard Point in Cornwall. Further south and west is Bishop Rock lighthouse, off the Scilly Isles.
Lighthouse Furthest West on UK Mainland
Ardnamurchan Lighthouse is found in the Scottish Highlands and is the most westerly of the UK mainland lighthouses.
Most Submerged Rock
Bell Rock lighthouse, located 11 miles off of the east coast of Scotland near Dundee is built on a rock that is submerged under 4 metres of water twice a day. This provides guidance for ships navigating the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Fourth.
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 UK Lighthouse Facts
Souter Lighthouse in Marsden South Tyneside is said to be haunted as are South Stack Lighthouse and Plas yn Rhiw in Wales.
St Anthony’s Lighthouse in Cornwall featured in the opening credits of the Fraggle Rock television show, a Jim Henson creation from the 1980’s.