39 Lighthouses to Explore in United Kingdom

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'.

Neist Point is a viewpoint on the most westerly point of Isle of Skye. Neist Point Lighthouse has been located there since 1909. Whales, dolphins, porpoises, and basking shark can be seen from the point.

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.

This beautiful Lighthouse stands tall amongst it all, nearly 80 metres above sea level. This Stevenson lighthouse was built in 1898 with a principal lightkeeper, an assistant and their families living at the site until the light was automated in 1964. The lighthouse became automatic in 1964 and was converted to wind and solar power using a solar array in 2000.

Pladda is home to an attractive lighthouse that was first lit in October 1790 and joined the lights on the Mull of Kintyre, Cumbrae in the Firth of Clyde, and Copeland light on the Irish coast. To allow Mariners to distinguish it from the other lights, Pladda had to show a lower light from a small lantern 20 feet below the original one – an arrangement that was soon made permanent and was to operate for more than 100 years.

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.

Sumburgh Head is characterised by steep cliffs, a historic lighthouse building and one of Britain’s most accessible seabird colonies. The head is a 100 m high rocky spur capped by the Sumburgh Head Lighthouse. Visit, and explore the history and natural heritage of Sumburgh Head from early geological beginnings and Iron Age settlers to Lighthouse Keepers, Whales, Puffins and much more.

Scurdie Ness Lighthouse is located on the headland and has also been referred to as Montroseness Lighthouse. In 1867 the seafaring community of Ferryden made representations to the Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses to have a light established on Montrose Point due to the numerous shipwrecks and great loss of life along that coast. There are 11 wrecks recorded around the mouth of the estuary.

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.

Southerness lighthouse is located at the village of Southerness in South West Scotland. It is at present the second oldest lighthouse in Scotland. The 18m tall lighthouse sits overlooking the Solway Firth, towards the Lake District. Although the lighthouse is no longer in operation, it is an interesting landmark in a beautiful location that deserves to be put on any travel itinerary. The lighthouse is often open to the public in high season, where views from the top are said to be well worth the

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

Start Point Lighthouse was built by Trinity House in 1836, marking one of the most exposed peninsulas on the English Coast. Open to the public in summer months, it is owned and operated by Trinity House. It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade II listed building

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.