Lighthouses · South East England
Portland Bill High Light
Portland Bill High Light — lighthouse in Portland, Weymouth and Portland, Dorset, England, UK.

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 30 min–1 h
- Free entry
- Family-friendly
- Dog-friendly
About
Portland Bill High Light is a working or historic lighthouse on the United Kingdom coast. Records date its origin to 1869. Designed by James Nicholas Douglass. Heritage designation: Grade II listed building. Managed by Trinity House. Wikidata describes it as: "lighthouse in Portland, Weymouth and Portland, Dorset, England, UK". Coordinates: 50.5223°, -2.4564°.
Photo gallery
Heritage listing
The Old Higher Lighthouse is a disused 19th century lighthouse on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, southern England. It is located at Branscombe Hill on the west side of Portland, overlooking Portland Bill. The lighthouse is Grade II Listed.
From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.
Protected designations
- Site of Special Scientific Interest: Isle of Portland SSSI
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
The Old Higher Lighthouse is a disused 19th century lighthouse on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, southern England. It is located at Branscombe Hill on the west side of Portland, overlooking Portland Bill. The lighthouse is Grade II Listed.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
The surrounding coast of Portland, namely Portland Bill and Chesil Beach, have been notorious for the many vessels that became shipwrecked in the area over the centuries. After years of local petitions to Trinity House, the organisation agreed for a lighthouse to be built at Portland Bill. George I granted the patent in 1716. That year, it was announced that Trinity House had 'caus'd to be erected two round Light-Houses of Stone upon Portland, in the County of Dorset, distant about two Thirds of a Mile from the Bill of Portland'. This one was built at Branscombe Hill, and the other, the Old Lower Lighthouse, on lower land. In 1788 Trinity House had Argand lamps installed within the higher…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 50.5223, -2.4564
- District
- Dorset
- Parish
- Portland
- Postcode
- DT5 2JT
- Parliamentary constituency
- South Dorset
- Established
- 1869
Sources
- wikidata: Q7084211 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Old Higher Lighthouse (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Old Higher Lighthouse, Portland Bill - geograph.org.uk - 527423.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Portland Bill High Light?
- Portland Bill High Light is in South-East England, United Kingdom (postcode DT5 2JT), in the parish of Portland.
- When was Portland Bill High Light built?
- Built or established in 1869. Designed by James Nicholas Douglass.
- Who runs Portland Bill High Light?
- Portland Bill High Light is operated by Trinity House.
- Is Portland Bill High Light a listed building?
- Portland Bill High Light is officially recognised as Grade II listed building listed.
- Is Portland Bill High Light a protected site?
- Yes — Portland Bill High Light is part of the Isle of Portland SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest.
- Is Portland Bill High Light free to visit?
- Yes, Portland Bill High Light is free to enter.