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The Great Britain Guide

Lighthouses · North East England

St Bees Lighthouse

GeorgianTrinity HouseFree admission

St Bees Lighthouse — lighthouse in Cumbria, England.

St Bees Lighthouse, lighthouses in North East England

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

Plan your visit

Typical visit
30 min–1 h
Nearest railway station
St Bees · 3.8 km
  • Free entry
  • Family-friendly
  • Dog-friendly

About

St Bees Lighthouse is a working or historic lighthouse on the United Kingdom coast. Records date its origin to 1822. Designed by James Nicholas Douglass. Constructed primarily of stone. Managed by Trinity House. Wikidata describes it as: "lighthouse in Cumbria, England". Coordinates: 54.5137°, -3.6365°.

Photo gallery

Protected designations

  • Site of Special Scientific Interest: St. Bees Head SSSI

Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

St Bees Lighthouse is a lighthouse located on St Bees Head near the village of St Bees in Cumbria, England. The cliff-top light is the highest in England at 102 m (335 ft) above sea level.

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

Background

Description

The foundation stone of the current tower was laid in a ceremony on 10 May 1865, with construction by builder John Glaister of Whitehaven. Civil engineer Henry Norris supervised the construction as resident engineer on behalf of Trinity House. Beneath the foundation stone a zinc box was laid containing a dated scroll signed by Henry Norris & John Glaister as well as by the others present at ceremony together with newspapers and coins of the realm. The tower is 17 m high and stands an average of 102 m above sea level. It was built of local sandstone topped by a lantern that was originally destined for Gibraltar It was provided with a large (first-order) catadioptric optic, supplied by Chance…

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
54.5137, -3.6365
District
Cumberland
Parish
St. Bees
Postcode
CA28 9UY
Parliamentary constituency
Whitehaven and Workington
Established
1822
Nearest railway station
St Bees3.8 km

Sources

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Nearby

Other works by James Nicholas Douglass

More places run by Trinity House

Other lighthouses from this era

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Frequently asked questions

Where is St Bees Lighthouse?
St Bees Lighthouse is in North-East England, United Kingdom (postcode CA28 9UY), in the parish of St. Bees.
When was St Bees Lighthouse built?
Built or established in 1822. Designed by James Nicholas Douglass.
Who runs St Bees Lighthouse?
St Bees Lighthouse is operated by Trinity House.
Is St Bees Lighthouse a protected site?
Yes — St Bees Lighthouse is part of the St. Bees Head SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Is St Bees Lighthouse free to visit?
Yes, St Bees Lighthouse is free to enter.
How do I get to St Bees Lighthouse?
The nearest railway station is St Bees, about 3.8 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode CA28 9UY.