IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Sandwith, WHITEHAVEN, CA28 9UY

As seen from the coastal path.

This is not on the edge of the cliff, but 150m inland at the summit of a hill

From Trinity house: South of the harbours of Maryport, Workington and Whitehaven, sandy beaches and grassy foreshores give way to cliffs around St. Bees Head, a high promontory, which was a danger to small coastal vessels trading between the ports of Wales and the Solway Firth. In 1718, Trinity House obtained a patent for the building of a lighthouse on the Head and in turn leased it to a private individual Thomas Lutwige, for ninety-nine years at an annual rent of £20. Lutwige undertook to erect the tower and maintain a light at his own expense. To provide him with an income, dues were levied at a rate of three-half pence a ton on cargo carried by vessels calling at the nearby ports of Whitehaven, Maryport and Workington. Lutwige built a strong round tower 9 metres in height and 5 metres in diameter, probably of local sandstone on top of which was a large metal grate into which the keepers tipped loads of coal. Work was strenuous particularly on windy nights and the keepers were rewarded with a weekly wage of seven shillings. The small grate led to continual complaints from shipowners because on windy nights the light was variable in intensity and often shrouded in thick smoke. In 1822, the tower was destroyed by fire and Trinity House decided to substitute the coal light for oil, (St. Bees was the last coal-fired lighthouse in Britain). The old tower was replaced by a circular lighthouse built to the design of Joseph Nelson. This tower, which cost £2,322, it is still in use today. St Bees Lighthouse was automated and demanned in 1987 and is now monitored from the Trinity House Operations and Planning Centre at Harwich.

On St Bees Head. Automated and unmanned since 1987. The building in the foreground was presumably used for lighthouse keepers' accommodation.

At 102 metres above sea level, and 17 metres high, St Bees Lighthouse has the highest elevation of the Trinity House lighthouses.  It was also the last coal-powered lighthouse in the UK.  A patent was first granted for a lighthouse at St Bees Head in 1718. A coal fire burned at the top of the tower, but the light was often obscured by poor weather or smoke, leading to complaints from ship owners. The lighthouse was leased by Trinty House to Thomas Lutwige who collected light dues to maintain the light from the neighbouring ports of Whitehaven, Maryport and Whitehaven. In 1822 when tragedy struck at the lighthouse when a fire broke out.  The fire destroyed the lighthouse and the keeper’s wife and five children were killed. A new tower replaced the 1718 tower.  Designed by Joseph Nelson, the new lighthouse had an enclosed lantern.  This lantern housed 15 Argand oil lamps with parabolic reflectors. An explosive fog signal was established in 1913. In the mid-1950s St Bees lighthouse was electrified, and an electric fog tannoy was installed in the 1960s.  This signal is located in a separate building close to the cliff edge.  The fog signal was later discontinued. The lighthouse was automated in 1987 when the keepers were removed, and the light was monitored remotely.

The substantial stone wall separates a lawned area in front of the lighthouse from the farmer's field in the foreground.