Smeaton’s Tower lighthouse in Plymouth
The Top Lighthouses in the UK to Visit
Lighthouses and the people who have lived and worked in them for generations. It has kept mariners safe despite being located in some of the most dangerous parts of the nation. We are looking for fascinating and top lighthouses to visit in the UK and even stay in.
Our nation’s maritime history and a popular tourist attraction. Lighthouses are a distinctive feature of the British coast. They make for a fascinating destination on any stroll or excursion along the beach. Now that automated lighthouses are the norm, these once-bustling structures have become a quiet symbol.
Visit some of the most exciting in Britain, including the shortest, oldest, most isolated, and famous.
The Origins of the Uk Lighthouse
Ancient religious structures perched on coastal hills in Britain served as lighthouses as early as the Roman era. However, contemporary lighthouse building in the UK didn’t start until the early 18th century. Which its have risen in number due to growing transatlantic traffic. More lights been made to protect ships from dangers like reefs and rocks.
How Many Different Lighthouses are there in Uk?
You may find more than sixty lighthouses around the coast of the United Kingdom. The nonprofit Trinty House maintains many of these lighthouses to keep mariners safe. You can check our recommended top lighthouses in the UK to visit.
Lizard Point Lighthouse
Built by private entrepreneur Thomas Fonnereau in 1752, marking the most southerly point of mainland Britain.
This two-tower lighthouse marks the farthest southern point of mainland Britain in the waters off the Cornish coast. Has been operational since 1619. Trinity House claims that resident Sir John Killigrew submitted the first patent application for a lighthouse there.
It was allowed but with a catch. They turned off the light if there was an enemy vessel in the area, with the Cornish coast being a hub for piracy and smuggling.
Muckle Flugga Lighthouse
Britain’s most northerly lighthouse. It stands precariously on sharp rocks jutting out of the sea in Shetland.
Muckle Flugga is the most northern British lighthouse, located on the northernmost tip of the isle of Unst in the Shetlands. Muckle Flugga was founded in 1854, making it a generation younger than Aberdeen.
It was designed and constructed by Robert Louis Stevenson’s father and uncle, architects Thomas and David Stevenson. In his youth, the author traveled to the island, which many think sparked the idea for Treasure Island.
Ardnamurchan Lighthouse
The most westerly point of the Ardnamurchan peninsula.
In 1845, the 20 acres needed to build this lighthouse—the furthest westerly on the British mainland—were purchased for the modest sum of £20. Alan Stevenson, uncle of Robert Louis via their familiar brother Thomas, built this structure. It is 36 meters tall and uses granite from the Isle of Mull.
The only Egyptian-style lighthouse in the world can be found to the west of Fort William in the Highlands.
Chalk Tower
England’s oldest surviving lighthouse.
Flamborough Head’s chalk tower lighthouse has stood since 1669, but although being restored. New evidence reveals the beacon was never activated. But it is still one of the oldest lighthouses in the world. It is around 350 years and is the oldest lighthouse in the UK.
Dover Castle, Kent
It was founded in the 11th century and has been described as the “Key to England.
People think that Bell Rock Lighthouse is one of the oldest lighthouses in the UK. The oldest lighthouse building is at Dover Castle, though it hasn’t been used for a long time. The remains of a Roman lighthouse date back to the castle’s construction around two thousand years ago. A four-story pharos with such good preservation from the first.
Devon at Berry Head
The most miniature British lighthouse.
This squat southern England lighthouse is surrounded by rare flora. White sea campion, autumn squill, wild rock rose, goldilocks, and honewort. This 5-meter-tall beacon is surrounded by various plants, such as pink thrift.
The little structure sits on a cliff 60 meters high, making it one of the tallest lights in the country.
Skerryvore Scottish Hebrides Lighthouse
Home to Great Britain’s highest lighthouse.
If there is a lighthouse in Scotland, the odds are good that Stevenson designed it. Alan has the distinction of having built the world’s highest structure.
Skerryvore, an almost 50-meter-tall sea stack off the coast of the Hebrides. It’s near the island of Tiree and watches over the dangerous rocks below the sea. Despite its lack of the customary white and red paint job. This granite behemoth is one of the world’s most beautiful lighthouses. And it’s a little farther west than Scilly’s Bishop Rock.
