South Bishop Lighthouse

South Bishop Lighthouse stands on a small rock island called South Bishop or Emsger, eight kilometres west of St Davids Head in Pembrokeshire. The tower rises from granite built by James Walker in 1839 for traders from Cardigan who had sought a light since 1831. The granite tower tapers slightly and carries iron railings on a cornice, an unusual detail in Walker’s designs. Two keeper’s houses were added at the same time, along with other buildings for equipment. In 1959 the light switched to electricity and in 1971 a helipad was added before automation in 1983. The lighthouse was placed directly in the path of migrating seabirds, and the night-time brilliance disoriented many. Birds repeatedly flew into the lantern glass until Trinity House and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds installed special perches. After the perches were added, the number of collisions fell sharply. The light still guides vessels around the Bishops and Clerks island group while the helipad allows occasional landings. Visitors approach by boat from St Davids and see the white granite tower rising from the dark rock. The iron railings at the top catch the wind and the sea spray. The keeper’s houses sit close to the tower, their stone walls weathered by Atlantic storms. From the island there are wide views west across the Irish Sea and east to the Pembrokeshire coast. The perches on the lantern remain as a reminder of the earlier problem and the solution found by the two organisations.