Lowestoft Lighthouse

Lowestoft Lighthouse stands on the North Sea coast at Ness Point, the most easterly point in the United Kingdom. It is operated by Trinity House and marks the southern approach to Yarmouth Roads, a historic anchorage used by herring boats and colliers. The first lights here were built in 1609, making them the earliest built by Trinity House. Two towers guided ships until the sea moved the channel, forcing repeated rebuilds. The present tower, completed in 1874, replaced an earlier brick structure and still serves as a warning light for east-coast shipping.

The lighthouse has seen many changes since its first candles and coal braziers. In 1777 a ‘spangle light’ used 126 wicks and 4,000 mirrors to reach 20 nautical miles. Later, Argand lamps and parabolic reflectors improved the beam. The 1867 Low Light used a three-wick oil burner and a fog bell that rang three times every fifteen seconds. By 1901 a Kitson oil vapour burner raised the beam’s power to 241,000 candlepower, a British first.

Visitors find a 16-metre tower standing 37 metres above sea level. The white-painted brick building beside it once housed two keepers. Inside, the revolving optic still flashes white every thirty seconds, while a fixed red light marks Corton Sands. The automation room from 1975 remains, though the light is now monitored from Harwich. The surrounding cliffs and Ness Point offer wide views over the North Sea, where the first lights guided vessels three centuries ago.