Old Hunstanton Lighthouse

Old Hunstanton Lighthouse stands on Hunstanton Cliffs, the highest point along this stretch of the Norfolk coast. The first lights here appeared in the 17th century, built by John Knight with permission from Charles II to guide ships into Lynn Deeps. Before that, sailors relied on the glow from St Edmund’s Chapel ruins nearby. By the 18th century, the site had two stone towers with candle and coal-brazier lights. Later, a wooden lighthouse replaced the rear tower after a fire in 1776. The lighthouse is notable for introducing parabolic reflectors and oil lamps in 1776, a first for major British coast lights. Ezekiel Walker of Lynn designed the system, using 700 small mirrors to focus light toward the Lincolnshire shoals. By 1840, Trinity House replaced the wooden tower with a brick one, designed by James Walker and fitted with a powerful catadioptric optic. The new light could be seen 16 nautical miles away and included a red sector to warn of the Roaring Middle shoal. Today the white-painted brick tower rises 63 feet above the cliffs, its red-and-white paint scheme added in the 19th century. The former keepers’ houses still stand nearby, once converted into tearooms and later a private home. Visitors find the lighthouse at the cliff’s edge, with wide views over The Wash and the North Sea. The ruins of St Edmund’s Chapel lie just a short walk away, adding to the historic setting.