Leasowe Lighthouse

Image: © Sue Adair Taken: 17 Aug 2005

Leasowe Lighthouse stands on Leasowe Common and is a well known landmark on Wirral. It is built of brick, several feet thick and is solid at the base, tapering as it goes up to a height of one hundred and one feet. There are seven floors which can be reached by a cast iron staircase of one hundred and thirty steps. Over the entrance there is a tablet bearing the inscription M.W.G. 1763, this is commemorating the then mayor of Liverpool, William Gregson. Two lighthouses were erected on the coast of Leasowe in 1763 a 'lower light' on the shore and an 'upper light' on the site of the present building. The theory was, that the approaching ships master had only to line up the two lights to achieve a safe entrance to the Rock Channel and the port of Liverpool. The 'lower light' was troubled by erosion and the building collapsed. The present lighthouse at Leasowe was used as the lower light when the previous lower lighthouse collapsed and the upper light was built on Bidston Hill in 1771, three miles away. The light at Leasowe was lit for the last time on July 14th 1908, and the light at Bidston ceased to function in 1913. The lighthouse now houses a Visitor Centre and is the base for the Coastal Rangers.

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