Top 10 Lighthouses in Cornwall
The Lighthouse Peninsula
Cornwall projects further into the Atlantic than any other part of England, and the consequence of that geography is written in wrecks. The peninsula's western tip, from Land's End south to the Lizard, guards the junction of the English Channel and the Celtic Sea — one of the busiest and most dangerous passages in the world. Submerged reefs lie miles offshore, fogs roll in without warning, and the Atlantic swell that has crossed thousands of kilometres builds into steep, powerful waves against these granite cliffs. Trinity House, the English lighthouse authority, has maintained lights on this coast since the late sixteenth century, and several of the towers here — Bishop Rock, Wolf Rock, Longships — represent the absolute frontier of Victorian and Edwardian engineering. Few coasts in the world can match Cornwall for the concentration of lighthouse heritage within a single day's drive.
1. Bishop Rock Lighthouse, Isles of Scilly
Bishop Rock stands on the smallest rock in the world to bear a lighthouse, according to the Guinness World Records, roughly 6.5 kilometres west-southwest of St Agnes in the Isles of Scilly. The first tower, a skeletal iron structure begun in 1847 under engineer James Walker, was destroyed by a storm before its light was ever exhibited. The second tower, completed in 1858, was a solid granite structure 36 metres tall; subsequent works between 1882 and 1887, overseen by Sir James Nicholas Douglass, encased the original in a wider granite casing to increase its resistance to waves, bringing the final height to approximately 49 metres. The light character is two white flashes every 15 seconds with a range of 24 nautical miles. Bishop Rock was automated in 1992. It is the last British light seen by westbound transatlantic ships and the first seen eastbound. Views from Scilly boat trips pass the rock at a distance.
2. Longships Lighthouse, Land's End
Longships Lighthouse stands on the outermost of a group of tide-swept rocks 2.4 kilometres west of Land's End. A first tower was built here in 1795 by the entrepreneur Henry Smith under a Trinity House licence, and the present granite tower, designed by William Douglass, was completed in 1873 and raised to 35 metres. Its light character is an isophase white and red signal every ten seconds, with a nominal range of 18 nautical miles; the red sector covers the Kettle's Bottom rocks to the north. The tower was automated in 1988. The Longships rocks lie directly in the path of shipping that cuts the corner around Land's End, and the lighthouse prevents what would otherwise be catastrophic losses in the frequent Atlantic gales. The light is visible from the cliff path at Land's End and from charter vessels operating from Sennen Cove.
3. Lizard Lighthouse, the Lizard Peninsula
The Lizard is the most southerly point of mainland Britain, and Trinity House established the first twin-tower light station here in 1752 — one of the earliest lighthouses on this coast. The current compound retains much of its early character: two white towers rise from a long low engine house, only one of which now carries the operational light. The active tower stands 19 metres above the station but 70 metres above sea level, giving the light — a white flash every three seconds — a range of 26 nautical miles. The Lizard headland is surrounded by treacherous rocks including the Manacles, a notorious reef to the east responsible for hundreds of shipwrecks. The lighthouse was automated in 1998, and Trinity House operates a visitor centre in the former keepers' accommodation, open seasonally. The surrounding headland is National Trust land, making this one of the most accessible and fully interpreted light stations in England.
4. Godrevy Lighthouse, St Ives Bay
Godrevy Island lies near the northern mouth of St Ives Bay, its low white tower conspicuous across the wide sandy bay from Hayle to Newquay. The lighthouse was built by Trinity House in 1859, designed by James Walker, following the wreck of the passenger steamship Nile on the Stones reef in 1854, with a significant loss of life. The white octagonal tower stands 26 metres tall; the light character is a white flash every ten seconds with a range of 12 nautical miles. Godrevy was automated in 1939 and is one of the earliest automated Trinity House lights. Virginia Woolf, whose family spent summers at St Ives, drew on this lighthouse for her 1927 novel 'To the Lighthouse', making it one of the most literary light stations in Britain. The island is now a grey seal haul-out and National Nature Reserve; the RSPB manages access, and the lighthouse is not open, but it is perfectly visible from the headland path at the southern end of the bay.
5. Wolf Rock Lighthouse, off Land's End
Wolf Rock rises 13 kilometres south-southwest of Land's End, a solitary reef in the open Atlantic. The name derives from the howling sound produced by a natural hole in the rock before it was plugged during early construction work. James Walker built the first tower on Wolf Rock, completed in 1869; it stands 41 metres tall, constructed in interlocking granite courses in the tradition established at Eddystone and Bell Rock. The light character is a white flash every 15 seconds with a range of 23 nautical miles. The lighthouse was automated in 1988 after more than a century of manned operation. The helicopter pad added to the lantern gallery roof during automation is a distinctive feature visible in photographs. Wolf Rock is entirely inaccessible to visitors; it can be seen from charter fishing and wildlife boats out of Sennen or Mousehole, and from the Isles of Scilly ferry in good visibility.
6. Trevose Head Lighthouse, North Cornwall
Trevose Head stands on a broad, grassy headland north of Padstow, and its lighthouse has marked the northern approach to St Ives Bay and the hazards of the north Cornish coast since 1847. The engineer was James Walker. The white circular tower is 27 metres tall; the light character is a white flash every 7.5 seconds with a nominal range of 21 nautical miles. Trinity House additionally operates a fog signal here. The lighthouse was automated in 1995. Trevose Head is accessible by car along a toll road to the lighthouse compound, and Trinity House operates open days here during the summer. The views across Padstow Bay toward Stepper Point and north to Hartland are exceptional. The surrounding headland, managed in part as a holiday camp ground, makes Trevose one of the more visited operational light stations in the south-west, and the tower's white form is a familiar landmark for surfers on the beaches below.
7. St Anthony's Head Lighthouse, Falmouth
St Anthony's Head occupies the eastern arm of Falmouth Harbour entrance, the deepest natural harbour in western Britain and historically a major Royal Navy anchorage. The lighthouse was established in 1835 — relatively late given the harbour's importance, though lights had been exhibited from the head informally before. The white circular tower is modest at 19 metres, but its position 22 metres above sea level gives the light — a white and red flash pattern every 15 seconds — a range of 16 nautical miles. The red sector covers the Manacles reef to the south. The lighthouse was automated in 1954 and is one of the earliest Trinity House stations to have been converted. The National Trust owns the headland, and the former keepers' cottages are let as holiday accommodation, one of the more atmospheric lighthouse holidays in England. The headland path offers close views of the tower and sweeping prospects over Falmouth Bay.
8. Pendeen Watch Lighthouse, West Penwith
Pendeen Watch lighthouse was built in 1900 to fill a gap in coverage on the north-facing coast of West Penwith, between Cape Cornwall and the Lizard. It is a relatively modest station: a white tower 17 metres tall, automated in 1995, with a light character of four white flashes every 15 seconds and a range of 16 nautical miles. Trinity House also operates a fog signal at the station. The surrounding landscape is the post-industrial tin and copper mining country of West Penwith, and the lighthouse stands close to the mine engine houses and chimney stacks that crowd this part of the Cornish coast. The site is accessible on the South West Coast Path, and Trinity House holds occasional open days. The combination of maritime and industrial archaeology in the immediate setting makes Pendeen Watch worth visiting even outside the tower.
9. Round Island Lighthouse, Isles of Scilly
Round Island is the northernmost of the Isles of Scilly and its lighthouse, built in 1887 and designed by William Douglass, guards the northern passage through the archipelago used by deep-draught vessels. The white circular tower stands 19 metres on the island's plateau, approximately 55 metres above sea level, giving the light a range of 18 nautical miles. The light character is a white flash every ten seconds. Round Island was automated in 1987. The island hosts a large colony of Atlantic grey seals, and the lighthouse buildings are visible from the wildlife boat trips that circle the outer islands of Scilly throughout the summer season. Landing on Round Island is not permitted, but close approaches by RIB and wildlife charter are possible from St Mary's.
10. Tater Du Lighthouse, Lamorna, West Cornwall
Tater Du is Trinity House's newest Cornish lighthouse, established in 1965 following the loss of the Spanish coaster Juan Ferrer on the rocks near Boscawen Point in 1963, with the loss of eleven of her crew. It was the last lighthouse built by Trinity House before automation became standard practice. The white square tower is only 15 metres tall, but the exposed position near Lamorna Cove gives the white and red sectored light — a group of three flashes every 15 seconds — a range of 23 nautical miles. The red sector covers the Runnelstone reef to the west. Tater Du was unmanned from the moment of its construction. The lighthouse is accessible on foot via the South West Coast Path between Lamorna and Porthcurno, and the surrounding cliffs are particularly dramatic in westerly swells.
Planning a Visit to Cornwall's Lighthouses
Cornwall's lighthouse coast is best explored with several days and a car. The Land's End peninsula — Longships, Wolf Rock, the Tater Du walk — can be combined with the Isles of Scilly ferry from Penzance, from which both Bishop Rock and Round Island are visible. The Lizard lighthouse visitor centre (open April to October) is the most fully interpreted site. Trinity House publishes a schedule of lighthouse open days on its website, and several Cornish lighthouses including St Anthony's Head and Trevose Head can be booked as holiday lets. For the full picture of Cornwall's coastal lights, Open the map and explore the region interactively.