Blyth High Light

Blyth High Light stands on the south bank of the River Blyth in Northumberland. It is a pair of lighthouses built in 1788, the taller one in stone and the smaller in brick. The site overlooks the wide tidal river and the modern docks beyond. The brick lighthouse is the older of the two, dating from 1788, while the stone tower was added in 1888. Together they guided ships into the port as coal exports grew through the 19th century. The lighthouses mark the start of Blyth’s long maritime story. In 1788 the first breakwater and the original stone lighthouse were built to protect the new coal staiths. By 1855 a quarter of a million tons of coal passed through Blyth each year, rising to three million by 1900. The brick lighthouse was raised in 1888 to cope with taller ships, and both towers still stand side by side. Visitors find two neatly kept towers on a small open site beside the river. The stone lighthouse is the taller, with a lantern at the top reached by an internal spiral stair. The brick lighthouse is lower and now houses a small display about the port’s history. From the site there are wide views along the river towards the North Sea and across the docks where Scandinavian paper pulp still arrives.