Eddystone Lighthouse

The most famous lighthouse in the British Isles is probably the Eddystone, built on a small and very dangerous reef 13 miles south south west of Plymouth.

Four famous lighthouses have been built to mark the dangerous Eddystone Reef. The original tower, completed in 1698, was the first lighthouse to be built on a small rock in the open sea.

Most of the reef is submerged and only three feet of rock is visible at high tide - even on calm days, water can be thrown into the air in spouts.

In olden times, sea merchants were so afraid of being wrecked on the reef that they sometimes sailed around the Channel Islands or the French Coast to try and avoid it.

For more detailed information about each of the Eddystone lighthouses visit the following pages:

• Winstanley's Light 1698 to 1703
• Rudyerd's Light 1708 to 1755
• Smeaton's Light 1759 to 1882
• Douglass' Light 1882 to present