Skip to content
The Great Britain Guide

Lighthouses · South East England

Portland Bill High Light

Portland Bill High Light — lighthouse in Portland, Weymouth and Portland, Dorset, England, UK.

Portland Bill High Light, lighthouses in South East England

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

Other places nearby

Loading nearby places…

Nearby

Other works by James Nicholas Douglass

More places run by Trinity House

Other lighthouses from this era

More lighthouses in this region

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.