Name: Lizard Lighthouse
Rating: 5.0

Lizard Lighthouse

Lizard Lighthouse, Lighthouse Road, Lizard, Helston, UK

1-90 Years

Paid

Website

Contact

Message

Description

Lizard Lighthouse stands proudly on the southernmost point of mainland Britain in Cornwall. Built in 1752, it has guided ships safely across the Atlantic for over 250 years. Its distinctive twin towers and dramatic cliffside setting make it one of the most iconic lighthouses in the South West.

Visitors can explore the lighthouse on a guided tour, learn about its fascinating maritime history, and see displays about Trinity House housed in the original engine room. The site tells stories of early lighthouse schemes, shipwrecks, and the important role the lighthouse played in protecting vessels navigating these treacherous waters. The historic towers, cottages and whitewashed buildings still look much as they did centuries ago.

Tour tickets cost £8.50 for adults and £6.50 for under-16s. If you prefer to visit just the heritage centre and grounds, tickets are £4.50 for adults and £2.50 for under-16s.

With its breathtaking coastal views and rich seafaring history, Lizard Lighthouse offers a memorable visit for families, history lovers and coastal explorers. It’s a chance to stand at Britain’s most southerly point and discover centuries of maritime heritage.

Features

Paid
Host birthday parties: No

Features

Lizard Lighthouse was built by private entrepreneur Thomas Fonnereau in 1752, marking the most southerly point of mainland Britain. For over 250 years, the lighthouse has provided a welcoming landfall light to vessels crossing the Atlantic Ocean.
Many stories are told of the activities of wreckers around our coasts, most of which are grossly exaggerated, but small communities occasionally and sometimes officially benefited from the spoils of shipwrecks, and petitions for lighthouses were, in certain cases, rejected on the strength of local opinion.
The distinctive twin towers of Lizard Lighthouse mark the most southerly point of mainland Britain. See displays depicting Trinity House's history, housed in the original engine room. It was commissioned in 1752.
The Lizard Lighthouse, perched on the southernmost tip of the Lizard peninsula (the Lizard Point, basically!), further down and around the coast from both Kynance Cove and the village of Mullion, is a historical nautical structure for sure.
The lighthouse we see today, which is basically two towers with some cottages between them alongside a few other whiter-than-white ancillary buildings, was erected on the same patch of cliffside more than 130 years later, in 1751.
Wealthy landowner Thomas Fonnereau was behind the scheme and his fortunes fared much better than Sir John Killigrew’s did. Each tower that once featured a coal-fired brazier on top still stands. It looks as much today as it did all those years ago.