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The Great Britain Guide

Lighthouses · South East England

Dungeness Lighthouse

ModernTrinity HouseFree admission

Dungeness Lighthouse — lighthouse built 1961.

Dungeness Lighthouse, lighthouses in Kent

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
30 min–1 h
Nearest railway station
Dungeness · 0.4 km
  • Free entry
  • Family-friendly
  • Dog-friendly

About

Dungeness Lighthouse is a working or historic lighthouse on the United Kingdom coast. Records date its origin to 1961. Constructed primarily of concrete. Heritage designation: Grade II* listed building. Managed by Trinity House. Wikidata describes it as: "lighthouse built 1961". Coordinates: 50.9135°, 0.9760°.

Photo gallery

Heritage listing

Dungeness Lighthouse on the Dungeness Headland started operation on 20 November 1961. Its construction was prompted by the building of Dungeness nuclear power station, which obscured the light of its predecessor (dating from 1904) which, though decommissioned, remains standing. The new lighthouse (the fifth on the site) is constructed of precast concrete rings; its pattern of black and white bands is impregnated into the concrete.

From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.

Protected designations

  • Site of Special Scientific Interest: Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay SSSI
  • National Nature Reserve: DUNGENESS
  • Ramsar wetland: Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay

Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

Dungeness Lighthouse on the Dungeness Headland started operation on 20 November 1961. Its construction was prompted by the building of Dungeness nuclear power station, which obscured the light of its predecessor (dating from 1904) which, though decommissioned, remains standing. The new lighthouse (the fifth on the site) is constructed of precast concrete rings; its pattern of black and white bands is impregnated into the concrete. It remains in use today, monitored and controlled from the Trinity House Operations and Planning Centre at Harwich, Essex.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

In all there have been eight lighthouses at Dungeness: five main (or 'high') lights (of which the fifth is still fully operational today), and three subsidiary (or 'low') lights. The addition of a subsidiary light became necessary owing to the constant accretion of shingle on the east side of the spit (an ongoing problem on this cuspate foreland), which gradually leaves each lighthouse at an ever-increasing distance from the sea on that side. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries Dungeness was used as an experimental station by Trinity House; in the 1860s it was the first of their lighthouses to be equipped with a fog horn and the first to be given a permanent (if short-lived) electric…

Description

At first only a beacon was used to warn sailors, but this was replaced by a proper lighthouse in 1615. As the sea retreated, this had to be replaced in 1635 by a new lighthouse nearer to the water's edge known as Lamplough's Tower.

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
50.9135, 0.9760
County
Kent
Parish
Lydd
Postcode
TN29 9ND
Parliamentary constituency
Folkestone and Hythe
Established
1961
Nearest railway station
Dungeness0.4 km
Official site
www.rhdr.org.uk

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Dungeness Lighthouse?
Dungeness Lighthouse is in Kent, South-East England, United Kingdom (postcode TN29 9ND), in the parish of Lydd.
When was Dungeness Lighthouse built?
Built or established in 1961.
Who runs Dungeness Lighthouse?
Dungeness Lighthouse is operated by Trinity House.
Is Dungeness Lighthouse a listed building?
Dungeness Lighthouse is officially recognised as Grade II* listed building listed.
Is Dungeness Lighthouse a protected site?
Yes — Dungeness Lighthouse is part of the Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest and the DUNGENESS National Nature Reserve.
Is Dungeness Lighthouse free to visit?
Yes, Dungeness Lighthouse is free to enter.