Lighthouses of Southwest England

This page lists lighthouses of the English west coast from Bristol south to Land's End in Cornwall, including Avon, Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall. Lighthouses of the south (English Channel) coast of Cornwall and Devon are listed on the England South Coast page. This coastline is high and scenic. The Southwest Coast Path provides access to most of the light stations not accessible by road. Trinity House maintains seven light stations along the coast, plus two on Lundy Island in the mouth of the Bristol Channel. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from Volume A of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA numbers are from Publication 114. What's Hot: Lightship Haven towed to Sharpness for restoration Trinity House agrees to keep Godrevy Light active General Sources Online List of Lights - England Photos posted by Alexander Trabas. Guide to English and Welsh Lights A very useful inventory by Michael Millichamp; it includes some historical notes. Trinity House Chartered by Henry VIII in 1514, Trinity House has built and operated lighthouses in Britain for nearly 500 years. Association of Lighthouse Keepers Founded by serving and retired keepers, this lighthouse association is open to everyone.

Godrevy Island Light, August 2006 anonymous Creative Commons photo

Upper Severn Estuary Lighthouses
Chapel Rock

1886. Active; focal plane 6 m (20 ft); flash every 2.6 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 8 m (26 ft) square cast iron skeletal tower with gallery. Tower painted black, gallery white. Trabas has a photo; the stone wall seen in the photo is probably part of the original keeper's cottage. Located on a rocky shoal off Beachley, on the north side of the Severn, about 650 m (0.4 mi) downstream from the older Severn Bridge. Google has a satellite view. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Operator: Gloucester Harbour Trustees. Admiralty A5541; NGA 5994.

Lyde Rock

1895. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); quick-flashing light, white or red depending on direction. 12 m (39 ft) square cast iron skeletal tower with gallery. Tower painted black, gallery rail white. Trabas has a photo. Located on a submerged rock on the north side of the Severn off Beachley, about 300 m (0.2 mi) upstream from the older Severn Bridge; Google has a good satellite view. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Operator: Gloucester Harbour Trustees. Admiralty A5545.

Slime Road Range Rear

1914. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); continuous blue light. 8 m (26 ft) square cast iron skeletal tower with lantern, gallery, and a rectangular vertically-slatted daymark. The lantern is not in use; the light is provided by vertical neon tubes mounted on the front of the lantern. Tower painted black; lantern, gallery rail, and daymark painted white. Trabas has a photo. Located on a hill in Beachley. Site status unknown. Operator: Gloucester Harbour Trustees. Admiralty A5547.1.

* Sheperdine Range Rear

1886. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); continuous white light. 12 m (39 ft) square cast iron skeletal tower with lantern and gallery. Tower painted black, lantern white; the tower also carries a vertically slatted white daymark under the gallery. Trabas has a good photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the south side of the Severn, off Nupdown Road in Sheperdine. Site open, tower closed. Operator: Gloucester Harbour Trustees. Admiralty A5549.1.

* Berkeley Pill Range Front

1906. Active; focal plane 5 m (16 ft); continuous green light. 8 m (26 ft) square cast iron skeletal tower with lantern and gallery. Tower painted black, lantern white; the tower also carries a slatted white daymark under the gallery. Trabas has a good photo, and Google has a satellite view. This is a downstream (westbound) range. Located on the south bank of the Severn in Hamfields, near Berkeley. Site appears closed, but the lighthouse can be seen from nearby. Operator: Gloucester Harbour Trustees. Admiralty A5556.

* Berkeley Pill Range Rear

1906. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); continuous green light. 12 m (39 ft) square cast iron skeletal tower with lantern and gallery. Tower painted black, lantern white; the tower also carries a slatted white daymark under the gallery. Trabas has a good photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the south side of the Severn, on Berkeley Pill in Hamfields, near Berkeley, about 175 m (190 yd) south of the front light. Site appears closed, but the lighthouse can be seen from nearby. Operator: Gloucester Harbour Trustees. Admiralty A5556.1.

Humber Conservancy Board Lightship 14 Haven (Spurn)

1959 (Cook, Welton and Gemmell, Beverley, Yorkshire). Decommissioned 1985. 34.75 m (114 ft) steel lightship; round skeletal light tower with lantern and gallery amidships. Entire vessel painted red. The ship served its entire career in the North Sea on the Spurn station, where it replaced Lightship 12 (now at the Hull Marina in downtown Hull). Sold in 1987, it became the club ship of the Baucette Yacht Club in Guernsey, Channel Islands. The club renamed it Haven in 1991. In 1997 it was sold to Irish investors, and for most of the next decade it was moored at Castletownbere, County Cork. There is a 2004 photo of the ship in Ireland. In June 2007 it was sold to new owners who plan to use it as an alternative healing center at Gloucester. In November it was towed across the Irish Sea to Sharpness Shipyard, near Gloucester, for restoration and renovation. It should be moved to Gloucester sometime in 2008. Site and vessel closed for renovation. Owner: Lightship Therapies.

Avon (Bristol Area) Lighthouses

Avonmouth North Pier 1908. Active; focal plane 15 m (50 ft); white flash every 4 s. 16 m (53 ft) granite tower with lantern and gallery. Tower unpainted, lantern painted white. Trabas has a good photo. Located at the end of the pier on the northeast side of the mouth of the River Avon; Google has a satellite view. Site and tower closed; the pier is not open for walking. Visible from many locations on the waterfront in Avonmouth. Operator: Bristol Port Company. ARLHS ENG-003; Admiralty A5492; NGA 6024. Avonmouth South Pier 1907. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); red or green light, depending on direction, one 3 s occultation every 30 s. 9 m (30 ft) granite tower with lantern and gallery. Tower unpainted, lantern painted white. Trabas has a distant photo. Located at the end of the pier on the southwest side of the mouth of the River Avon; Google has a satellite view. Site and tower closed; the pier is not open for walking. Visible from many locations on the waterfront in Avonmouth. Operator: Bristol Port Company. ARLHS ENG-202; Admiralty A5492.21; NGA 6032. * Lightship 55 John Sebastian 1886. Decommissioned 1953. 31.4 m (103 ft) wood lightship; the small lantern is atop a cylindrical mast amidships. Hull and mast painted red, superstructure white. A photo appears at right, and Google has a fine satellite view. This is the only surviving wooden lightship in Britain, if we except the wrecked Gull at Grays on the Thames. She served many stations, most recently the English and Welsh Grounds station in Bristol Channel (1939-1942 and 1947-1953). Sold for scrap, the ship was salvaged by breakers who removed most of the original equipment. Beached for burning, the ship was saved after nearby landowners objected. In 1955 she was purchased by the Cabot Cruising Club, and since then she has been well maintained as the club's headquarters. Moored at Bathurst Basin, on Commercial Road at Lower Guinea Street, just off the River Avon in Bristol. Site open, ship closed to non-members. Owner/site manager: Cabot Cruising Club. ARLHS ENG-322.

Lightship John Sebastian, January 2005 Creative Commons photo by Joe Dunckley

* Portishead Point (Battery Point)

1930. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); three quick white flashes every 10 s. 9 m (29 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with gallery, partially enclosed, mounted on a square concrete base. Tower painted black, contrasting with the white concrete of the base. A fog bell is mounted on the front of the tower. Lighthouse connected to shore by an elevated walkway. Trabas has a good photo, and another photo is available. Prefabricated by Chance Brothers and probably the only surviving example of its type. Endangered: poorly maintained, the tower is rusting and there is a danger it will be scrapped and replaced. Located on a promontory just off Esplanade Road on the south shore of the Severn in Portishead, about 3 km (2 mi) west of the mouth of the Avon. Google has a satellite view. Site open, tower closed. Operator: Bristol Port Company. ARLHS ENG-106; Admiralty A5484; NGA 6144.

* Blacknore Point

1894. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 11 m (36 ft) round, 6-legged cast iron tower with enclosed watch room, lantern and gallery, all painted white. 4° Fresnel lens in use. Trabas has an excellent photo, a lovely 2007 photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. An unusually well preserved late nineteenth century prefabricated lighthouse. Located on the south shore of the Severn about 3 km (2 mi) west of Portishead; accessible by road or on the Somerset Coastal Path. Site open, tower closed. Operator: Trinity House. ARLHS ENG-012; Admiralty A5482; NGA 6148.

Somerset Lighthouses

* Burnham-on-Sea (2) Low 1832. Reactivated (inactive 1969-1996); focal plane 7 m (23 ft); white flash every 7.5 s; a directional light (white, red, or green depending on direction) is shown at a focal plane of 4 m (13 ft). 9 m (30 ft) square wooden tower with a conical roof, mounted on 9 timber pilings. The tower has two windows, and as the photo at right shows, the white light is mounted in front of the upper window and the directional light is inside the lower window. Lighthouse painted white with a single vertical red stripe on the front face. Trabas has a photo, another good photo is available. Located on a broad beach about 1 km (0.6 mi) north of the center of Burnham-on-Sea; Google has a satellite view. Site open, tower closed. Operator: unknown. ARLHS ENG-019; Admiralty A5570; NGA 6172. * Burnham-on-Sea (2) High ("Pillar Lighthouse") 1832. Inactive since 1996. 30 m (99 ft) brick tower with a conical roof and a half gallery on the front, incorporating keeper's quarters. Tower painted white with a red vertical stripe on the range line. Burnham-on-Sea.com has a good photo; Tony Denton's photo on Lighthouse Explorer shows the red stripe, and another good photo is available. The tower remains in service as a day range. The building is now used as a private residence, known locally as the Pillar Lighthouse. In early 2007 it was for sale. Located on Berrow Road just north of Stodden's Road, about 500 m (0.4 mi) east of the low light in Burnham-on-Sea; Google has a satellite view. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: private. ARLHS ENG-018. * Burnham-on-Sea (1) (Burnham Old, "Round Tower") 1801 (David Davies). Inactive since 1832. 2-story masonry tower with castellated top. Originally four stories tall, the tower was reduced in height so that it would not be confused with the Burnham High Light. Built privately by the local curate, the lighthouse has always been known locally as the Round Tower. Located on the oceanfront Esplanade at Myrtle Drive in Burnham-on-Sea; Google has a satellite view. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: private. ARLHS ENG-323.

Burnham-on-Sea Lower Light, March 2006 Creative Commons photo by Mike Warren

* Burnham-on-Sea Seafront Range Rear

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (40 ft); continuous red light. 11 m (36 ft) square stone church tower. Trabas has a photo. The light is mounted on the tower of the Church of St. Andrew, a building that dates from 1316. The tower has a slight lean, centuries old, due to sinking foundations. Located just a few feet southwest of the "Round Tower" (previous entry) off the Esplanade in Burnham-on-Sea; Google has a satellite view. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Church of St. Andrew. Admiralty A5572.1; NGA 6180.

* Watchet Harbour

1862. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); continuous green light. 6.5 m (22 ft) hexagonal cast iron tower with lantern. Tower painted orange red; lantern is white with a dark green roof. Trabas has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the the end of the breakwater on the west side of the harbor at Watchet; accessible by walking the breakwater. Site open, tower closed. Owner: West Somerset Council. Operator: Watchet Harbour Marina. ARLHS ENG-174; Admiralty A5584; NGA 6196.

Devon North Coast Lighthouses
** Lynmouth Foreland (Foreland Point)

1900. Active; focal plane 67 m (220 ft); four white flashes, separated by 2.2 s, every 15 s. 15 m (50 ft) cylindrical brick tower with lantern and gallery attached to 1-story keeper's house. 1° Fresnel lens in use. Lighthouse Explorer Database has a good photo by John Mobbs, Trabas has a closeup of the lantern, and another fine closeup is available. The keeper's house is available for vacation rental. Located atop Foreland Point, a steep headland about 3 km (2 mi) northeast of Lynmouth; Google has a satellite view. There is a winding service road to the lighthouse, used by cottage guests, but other visitors generally view the station from above on the South West Coast Path. Site open, keeper's house open to paying guests, tower closed. Operator: Trinity House. Site manager: National Trust. ARLHS ENG-044; Admiralty A5590; NGA 6208.

* Ilfracombe (Lantern Hill)

1819. Active; focal plane 39 m (127 ft); green flash every 2.5 s. 11 m (37 ft): white lantern mounted atop the 1-1/2 story stone Chapel of St. Nicholas. Several photos are available, and Trabas also has a photo. The chapel dates from about 1320, and navigational lights were shown from it beginning around 1650. The current light tower was added by Trinity House in 1819. Located atop a steeply conical hill above the harbor of Ilfracombe; Google has a satellite view. Site open, chapel open regularly for services, tower closed. Operator: North Devon District Council. ARLHS ENG-059; Admiralty A5594; NGA 6220.

** Bull Point (2)

1976 (station established 1879). Active; focal plane 54 m (177 ft); three white flashes every 10 s; also a continuous red hazard light is shown westward over Rockham Shoal. 12 m (35 ft) square cylindrical brick tower with lantern and gallery, attached to 1-story utility building. 1-story keeper's house available for vacation rental. Karen Withak has a good photo, and Trabas has a closeup photo. This clifftop lighthouse is vulnerable to erosion. In September 1972 a large slide destroyed the fog signal building and threatened the lighthouse, forcing Trinity House to replace both structures. Located on the point about 2 km (1.2 mi) north of Mortehoe; Google has a satellite view. Accessible by a popular hike from Mortehoe on the Southwest Coast Path. Site open, keeper's house open to paying guests, tower closed. Operator: Trinity House. Site manager: Rural Retreats. ARLHS ENG-017; Admiralty A5600; NGA 6228.

* [Braunton Sands Low (Crow Point) (2)] 1957(?) (station established 1820). Active; focal plane 8 m (27 ft); flash every 5 s, white or red depending on direction. 7.5 m (25 ft) square pyramidal steel skeletal tower, painted white; no lantern. Trabas has a good photo. Originally there were high and low lighthouses at Braunton Sands; the high light was a remarkable octagonal wood tower mounted atop a 2-story keeper's house. These lights were demolished in 1957. Located on a sandy spit just inside the entrance to the River Taw opposite Instow. Google has a satellite view. It should be possible to walk out to the light. Operator: Trinity House. ARLHS ENG-030; Admiralty A5612; NGA 6240. * Instow Range Front Date unknown. Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); white light, 5 s on, 1 s off, day and night. 18 m (59 ft) square steel skeletal tower with gallery and a rectangular, vertically-slatted daymark. Entire lighthouse painted white. Trabas has a photo. The range guides ships through the narrow channel into the River Taw. Located on the west bank of the Taw on the north side of Instow. Site open, tower closed. Operator: Torridge District Council (Port of Bideford). ARLHS ENG-204; Admiralty A5610; NGA 6232. * Instow Range Rear Date unknown. Active; focal plane 38 m (126 ft); white light, 7.5 s on, 2.5 s off, day and night. 8.5 m (28 ft) post light mounted atop a 1-story equipment hut, painted white. Trabas has a photo showing the light in the middle of a sheep pasture. Located just off Rectory Lane on the northwest side of Instow, 425 m (1/4 mi) west southwest of the front light. Google has a satellite view. Site open, tower closed. Operator: Torridge District Council (Port of Bideford). ARLHS ENG-254; Admiralty A5610.1; NGA 6236. Hartland Point 1874 (James Douglass). Active; focal plane 37 m (120 ft); six white flashes every 15 s, day and night. Fog horn (blast every 60 s). 18 m (59 ft) brick tower with lantern and gallery, painted white, attached to 2-story service building. The keeper's houses were demolished in 1984 to make room for a helipad. A photo is at right, and Trabas also has a photo. A seawall was built in 1925 to protect this clifftop station from erosion of the cliff. Trinity House has additional information on the history of the station. Hartland Point is a right-angled turn in the coastline at the extreme southwestern entrance to Bristol Channel. Located about 5 km (3 mi) northwest of Hartland; Google has a satellite view. The road to the lighthouse is gated at a parking area for the Southwest Coast Path; good views of the light station are available by taking the path west and south. Site and tower closed. Operator: Trinity House. ARLHS ENG-051; Admiralty A5622; NGA 6252.

Hartland Point Light, August 2005 anonymous Creative Commons photo

Lundy Island Lighthouses
Note: Lundy Island is located in the mouth of the Bristol Channel about 20 km (13 mi) northwest of Hartland Point. The island is accessible by ferry from Bideford or Ilfracombe from late March through the end of October or by helicopter from Hartland Point on Mondays and Fridays during the winter. There is one small town on the island and overnight accommodations are available. The entire island is managed by the Landmark Trust.

*** Lundy Island (Old Light) 1820 (Joseph Nelson and Daniel Alexander). Inactive since 1897. 29 m (96 ft) granite tower with lantern and gallery, connected to two 2-story keeper's houses. An additional 1-story keeper's cottage nearby. The buildings are unpainted stone; lantern painted white. All three keeper's houses are available for vacation rental. Lighthouse Explorer has a photo by Steven Winter, and an excellent closeup is available. Located on Beacon Hill, the highest point of the island. Site open, keeper's houses open to paying guests, tower open for climbing. Owner: Landmark Trust. Site manager: Lundy Island Company (see "The Old Light" under the Accommodation tab). ARLHS ENG-073. Lundy Island North 1897. Active; focal plane 48 m (157 ft); quick white flash every 5 s. 17 m (56 ft) cylindrical brick tower with lantern and gallery attached to two 1-story keeper's houses. All buildings painted white. The lantern is not in use; since 1991 the solar-powered light has been displayed from the roof a the small fog signal hut on the north side of the lighthouse. Trabas has a great photo, and Nick Hubbard has also posted a good photo. Located atop cliffs at the northern tip of the island; accessible by a rough walk of 10 km (6 mi) roundtrip. Site open, tower closed. Operator: Trinity House. ARLHS ENG-074; Admiralty A5616; NGA 6244. * Lundy Island South 1897. Active; focal plane 53 m (175 ft); quick white flash every 15 s. 16 m (52 ft) cylindrical brick tower with lantern and gallery attached to two 1-story keeper's houses. Solar-powered lens in the lantern. The fog horn (blast every 25 s) is mounted atop the lantern. All buildings painted white. There's a photo at right, Trabas has an excellent photo, and Nick Hubbard has also posted a good photo. Located atop cliffs at the southern tip of the island, where it is more accessible to visitors than the north light. Site open, tower closed. Operator: Trinity House. ARLHS ENG-075; Admiralty A5618; NGA 6248.

Lundy Island South Light, December 2005 anonymous Creative Commons photo

Cornwall Northwest Coast Lighthouses
** Trevose Head (High)

1847. Active; focal plane 62 m (204 ft); white flash every 7.5 s. 26.5 m (87 ft) brick tower with lantern and gallery attached to two 1-story keeper's houses. Rotating 1° Fresnel lens (1913) in use. Fog horn (2 blasts every 30 s). Entire light station painted white. Trabas has a foggy closeup, Adrian Hall has a nice photo, and West Country Views has a fine portfolio of photos. The keeper's houses are available for vacation rental. Trevose Head is a peninsula at the northwestern tip of Cornwall. The former low light was discontinued in 1882. Located about 8 km (5 mi) northwest of Padstow; Google has a good satellite view. Site and keeper's house open to paying guests, tower closed. The lighthouse can be viewed from nearby on the Southwest Coast Path. Operator: Trinity House. Site manager: Rural Retreats. ARLHS ENG-157; Admiralty A5638; NGA 6272.

* Portreath

Date unknown. Inactive. Approx. 6 m (20 ft) cylindrical tower topped by a short mast that formerly held a navigation light. A photo is available. Millichamp draws attenton to this forgotten lighthouse. Located at the end of the Landmark Pier in Portreath. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: unknown. ARLHS ENG-324.

Godrevy Island

1859 (James Walker). Active; focal plane 37 m (120 ft); white flash every 10 s; red flashes are shown to the northwest over dangerous rocks. 26 m (86 ft) octagonal cylindrical stone tower, painted white. Keepers houses demolished; oil house survives. A good closeup photo is at the top of this page. The author Virginia Wolff spent holidays at Talland House in St Ives, and her view of this lighthouse inspired the writing of her most famous work, To The Lighthouse. In January 2005, a permit was issued to build apartments that will block this view. Soon thereafter, Trinity House announced plans to deactivate the light, but in August it backed down in the face of widespread protests. Located about 500 m off Godrevy Point near Gwithian at the northeastern entrance to St. Ives's Bay; Google has a satellite view. Accessible only by boat, but there are excellent views from the Southwest Coast Path. Site open, tower closed. Operator: Trinity House. ARLHS ENG-047; Admiralty A5654; NGA 6284.

* St. Ives (1) 1830 (James and Edward Harvey). Inactive since 1890. 6 m (20 ft) square cylindrical stone tower with octagonal gallery and a broad observation room instead of a traditional lantern. A fine closeup is available. This tower is mounted on the original harbor wall built by John Smeaton in 1770, but the common belief that Smeaton also built the lighthouse is not correct. After deactivation in 1890 the building was used as a store. The lighthouse was restored in the late 1990s after being nearly destroyed by fire in 1996. Located on the waterfront in St. Ive's. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Penwith District Council. ARLHS ENG-144. * St. Ives (3) 1890. Active; focal plane 8 m (27 ft); two continuous green lights, one above the other. 10.5 m (32 ft) cast iron tower with lantern and gallery mounted on an octagonal stone base. Lighthouse painted white, base black. A photo appears at right, and Trabas also has a photo. This light was prefabricated in Bath by Stothert and Pitt, Ltd. The lantern from a post light that was near this location for several years in the late 1860s is on display at the St. Ives Museum. Located at the end of the extension (1890) to Smeaton's Pier in St. Ive's (the pier was later extended further); accessible by walking the pier. Google has a satellite view. Operator: Penwith District Council. ARLHS ENG-276; Admiralty A5665; NGA 6296. **** Pendeen 1900. Active; focal plane 59 m (195 ft); four white flashes, separated by 2.2 s, every 15 s. 17 m (56 ft) concrete-clad rubblestone tower, attached to 1-story keeper's houses. Entire building painted white. Original rotating 1° Fresnel lens in use. Electronic fog horn (blast every 20 s). Original fog signal building with two diaphone horns. The 1-story keeper's house has four apartments; one is occupied by an attendant and the other three are available for vacation rental. An excellent photo is available, and Trabas also has a closeup photo. This historic and well-preserved light station is one of the most popular tourist attractions of the Land's End area. Located on the promontory called Pendeen Watch, about 2 km (1.2 mi) north of the B3306 highway at Pendeen. Google has a fine satellite view. Accessible by road, parking provided. Site open, buildings and tower open to guided tours daily except Saturdays during July and August and during holiday periods in the spring. Operator: Trinity House. ARLHS ENG-100; Admiralty A5670; NGA 6304.

St. Ives Light, October 2005 anonymous Creative Commons photo

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

•  Rhenish Tower (1850s, rebuilt after 1952), Lynmouth, is often called a lighthouse, but it was never an official aid to navigation.

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Posted November 23, 2004. Checked and revised December 3, 2007. Lighthouses: 30; lightships: 2. Site copyright 2007 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.