Skokholm Lighthouse

Skokholm Lighthouse stands on Skokholm Island, a small, uninhabited island off the southwest coast of Pembrokeshire in Wales. The island is recognised as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and is managed by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales. It is also home to the United Kingdom’s first bird observatory, where a great variety of birds can be found. The lighthouse was built between 1915 and 1916 to guide ships into Milford Haven and the Bristol Channel. It forms a triangle of lights with South Bishop and the Smalls lighthouses to protect shipping. The lighthouse was constructed after a new jetty was built to land materials. These were then moved to the site using a narrow-gauge railway powered first by a donkey, then a pony, and finally a tractor. Relief for the lighthouse keepers came by boat from Holyhead until the light was automated in 1983. Since then, it has been monitored and controlled from Trinity House’s Operations Control Centre in Harwich, Essex. Visitors to Skokholm Island will find a remote and rugged landscape shaped by its wildlife and maritime history. The lighthouse itself is a prominent feature, standing as a guide for ships passing through the area. The island’s birdlife offers a chance to observe species in their natural habitat. The narrow-gauge railway’s remains can still be seen, adding to the sense of the island’s past. The views stretch across the Bristol Channel, with the Welsh coastline visible in the distance.