19 Lighthouses to Explore in England

Beachy Head Lighthouse was built by Trinity House in 1902 to guide passing vessels along the cliffs marking the seaward termination of the Sussex Downs. It is 43 m in height and became operational in October 1902. It was the last traditional-style 'rock tower' to be built by Trinity House.

The Burnham-on-Sea Low Lighthouse was constructed in 1832 by Joseph Nelson to guide ships through the Bristol Channel. It is a Grade II listed building and stands on the foreshore. Now, the lighthouse does more than guide ships through the channel’s wayward waters. It’s also a beacon for beach walkers, too.

Flamborough Head Lighthouse is an active lighthouse located at Flamborough. The current lighthouse was built in 1806 and acts as a waypoint for deep sea vessels and coastal traffic as well as marking the Flamborough Headland for vessels heading for the ports of Scarborough and Bridlington.

Godrevy Lighthouse was built by Trinity House in 1859 marking a dangerous reef off St. Ives called the Stones; the light was moved to an adjacent steel structure in 2012. Standing approximately 300 meters off Godrevy Head, it marks the Stones reef, which has been a hazard to shipping for centuries.

Happisburgh Lighthouse is the oldest working light in East Anglia, and the only independently run lighthouse in Great Britain, Built in 1790. Visitors can find out about the history and operation of the lighthouse, and climb the 112 steps to view the stunning views from the lantern.

The Lizard Lighthouse is Cornwall’s most southerly land lighthouse. This real Lighthouse has been shining a light for over 260 years, guiding ships safely home. It became the first electrically powered lighthouse before being fully automated in 1998 with a 26 mile light range and an automatic 3 mile fog signal if conditions are misty.

The Longstone Lighthouse is situated on Longstone Rock, one of the Outer Staple Islands. It was built by Trinity House in 1826 on the Longstone Rock for the welfare of shipping off the Northumberland coast. The lighthouse is best known for the 1838 wreck of the Forfarshire and the role of Grace Darling, the lighthouse keeper's daughter, in rescuing survivors.

Souter Lighthouse is a lighthouse located in the village of Marsden in South Shields, Tyne & Wear, England. Souter was the first lighthouse in the world to be actually designed and built specifically to use alternating electric current, the most advanced lighthouse technology of its day. First lit in the 1870s, Souter was described at the time as 'without doubt one of the most powerful lights in the world'.

New Brighton Lighthouse is a decommissioned lighthouse situated at the confluence of the River Mersey and Liverpool Bay on an outcrop off New Brighton known locally as Perch Rock. The tower rises 90ft above the rock, the first half of which is solid. To gain access when the tide is out a ladder is needed to reach the first of the 15 iron rungs built in to the side of the tower that lead up to the door.

Portland Bill Lighthouse is located on the Southerly tip of the Isle of Portland, 1.2 miles south of the village of Easton. Active since 1906, It replaced the old lower and higher lighthouses in warning coastal traffic clear of the bill, acting as a way mark of the English channel, and safely guiding vessels heading to portland and Weymouth harbors.

South Foreland Lighthouse is a Victorian lighthouse on the South Foreland in St. Margaret's Bay, Dover, Kent, England, used to warn ships approaching the nearby Goodwin Sands. Built-in 1843, it went out of service in 1988 and is currently owned by the National Trust. It is notable as having been the first lighthouse to use an electric light, and was the site chosen by Guglielmo Marconi for his pioneering experiments in wireless radio transmissions.

Southwold Lighthouse stands in the middle of the historic resort of Southwold, in the heart of the beautiful Suffolk Heritage Coast. The lighthouse, which is a prominent local landmark, was commissioned in 1890, and was automated and electrified in 1938. It survived a fire in its original oil-fired lamp just six days after commissioning and today operates a 180-watt main navigation lamp.

St Catherine's Lighthouse is a lighthouse located at St Catherine's Point at the southern tip of the Isle of Wight. It was built in response to local need for reliable light to guide shipping, following the shipwreck of the Clarendon. Perched high on St Catherine’s Hill, the Oratory is often quoted as being a fine example of a medieval lighthouse, although it's more likely to have been a bell tower with a beacon alongside.

St Catherine’s Oratory, which is situated on St Catherine’s Hill, Isle of Wight, overlooking Chale Bay, is the site of a prehistoric burial mound and a small medieval oratory, or chapel, the west tower of which is thought to have been used as a lighthouse. The 35-foot octagonal tower is Britain’s second oldest lighthouse after Dover’s Roman beacon, and as such, the Pepperpot has overseen much of the island’s history. Its creation, however, tells perhaps its most enlightening tale.

St Mary's Lighthouse is on the tiny St Mary's Island, just north of Whitley Bay on the coast of North East England. The small rocky tidal island is linked to the mainland by a short concrete causeway which is submerged at high tide. The Lighthouse, completed in 1898 on a hazardous coast for shipping, remained operational until 1984 when it was superseded by modern navigational techniques. Since then the Lighthouse and former keepers' cottages have been operated as a visitor centre by North Tyne

The Needles is a row of three stacks of chalk that rise about 30m out of the sea off the western extremity of the Isle of Wight in the English Channel, the United Kingdom, close to Alum Bay, and part of Totland, the westernmost civil parish of the Isle of Wight. The Needles Lighthouse stands at the outer, western end of the formation. Built-in 1859, it has been automated since 1994.

It is in fact the second of three lighthouses built on what is one of the biggest shingle peninsulas on the world. The historic Grade II listed building was opened by HRM Prince of Wales in 1904. For 56 years the lighthouse provided an important land light to shipping, and now you can climb to the top and see the stunning distant views across the flat Romney Marshland.

Whitgift Lighthouse at Ousefleet stands as a reminder of an earlier age, one when the county’s rivers were a lifeline for heavy industry. This lighthouse was a vital touchstone for vessels going to and from Goole and onwards to the North Sea. The whole length of the Rivers Ouse, Trent, and Humber is lined with marker lights, but Whitgift is the only full sized traditional lighthouse on the Ouse and Trent section.

Withernsea’s Lighthouse is one of only a handful of lighthouses built inland, standing 127 feet (38m) high in the middle of the seaside town. It closed in 1976 after 82 years service and now serves as a memorial to local girl Kay Kendal 1950s famous film star, and includes a video film of excerpts from well-known films and memorabilia. Formerly owned and run by Trinity House of London, it ceased operation on 1 July 1976 and is now used as a museum.