Farne Lighthouse

Farne Lighthouse stands on the southern tip of Inner Farne, one of the Farne Islands off Northumberland’s coast. Built in the early 19th century, it replaced an earlier coal-burning light set up by Captain John Blackett in 1778. The lighthouse is a white cylindrical tower, 13 metres tall, with a keeper’s cottage attached at its base. It was designed by Daniel Alexander and originally used seven Argand lamps and reflectors. In 1910 it became one of the first Trinity House lighthouses to be automated, switching from acetylene gas to solar power in 1996. The lighthouse still guides ships today, with its light visible up to 15 kilometres away. A red sector warns of nearby hazards, working alongside the fixed beam from the former Low Lighthouse, now gone. Nearby Brownsman Island once had a matching lighthouse, also designed by Alexander, later moved to Longstone Island. The original Brownsman light replaced another built by Blackett on Staple Island in 1778. Visitors reach the island by boat from Seahouses, where they can walk around the lighthouse and its grounds. The tower and cottage remain largely unchanged since the 19th century, though the light now uses an LED source within the historic Fresnel lens. The surrounding islands form a nature reserve, home to seabirds and seals, adding to the remote coastal scenery.