St Anthony's Lighthouse

The lighthouse was designed by James Walker and built in 1835 by Olver of Falmouth, for Trinity House and the original light came from eight Argand oil lamps mounted on a revolving frame. The light was seen to flash once every twenty seconds. In 1865 an additional lamp and reflector were installed 'in the living room of the principal keeper' which shone a fixed light through a square window in the direction of a dangerous cluster of rocks known as The Manacles. (At the time the principal keeper and his family lived in the tower itself, while the assistant lived in the cottage, linked to the lighthouse by a covered way). After 1903 this subsidiary light was instead shown from a separate…

St. Anthony's lighthouse was featured in the intro of the UK version of Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock, as "Fraggle Rock Lighthouse". Nearby St. Mawes is also featured in some scenes from the programme. It also featured in one of episode of Ragdoll Productions' preschool series; Tots TV.

Today the light is automated, flashing every 15 seconds, with a red sector for The Manacles. The fog horn blasts once every 30 seconds. In 2022 the range of the light was reduced from 22 nautical miles to 12 (and the red sector light from 20 nmi to 9); the optic remains in use but the light source is now LED.