We have already seen ten of the tallest lighthouses from around the world, but this list concentrates on the ones located here in the UK. While not as tall others found around the world, they are still impressive nonetheless…
Portland Lighthouse
10 – Portland, Dorset (Approximate Height: 134 ft)
Wiki Info: Lighthouses were once regarded as an archetypal public good because ships could benefit from the light without being forced to pay. The Confederate States Constitution explicitly allowed public funds to be spent on navigation, including lighthouses.
Tarbat Ness Lighthouse
9 – Tarbat Ness, Ross and Cromarty (Approximate Height: 135 ft)
Wiki Info: A lighthouse is a tower, building, or another type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses, and to serve as a navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
The Smalls Lighthouse
8 – The Smalls, Dyfed (Approximate Height: 135 ft)
Wiki Info: Lighthouses mark dangerous coastlines, hazardous shoals, reefs, and safe entries to harbours, and can assist in aerial navigation.
North Ronaldsay Lighthouse
7 – North Ronaldsay, Orkney (Approximate Height:138 ft)
Wiki Info: Once widely used, the number of operational lighthouses has declined due to the expense of maintenance and use of electronic navigational systems.
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Dungeness Lighthouse
6 – Dungeness, Kent (Approximate Height: 141 ft)
Wiki Info: Before the development of clearly defined ports, mariners were guided by fires built on hilltops. Since raising the fire would improve the visibility, placing the fire on a platform became a practice that led to the development of the lighthouse
Beachy Head Lighthouse
5 – Beachy Head, East Sussex (Approximate Height: 141 ft)
Wiki Info: The most famous lighthouse structure from antiquity was the Pharos of Alexandria, Egypt, although it collapsed during an earthquake centuries later.
Chicken Rock Lighthouse
4 – Chicken Rock, Calf of Man (Approximate Height: 144 ft)
Wiki Info: The modern era of lighthouses began at the turn of the 18th century, as lighthouse construction boomed in lockstep with burgeoning levels of transatlantic commerce.
Skerryvore Lighthouse
3 – Skerryvore, Anglesey (Approximate Height: 157 ft)
Wiki Info: The Argand lamp, invented in 1782 by the Swiss scientist, Aimé Argand, revolutionised lighthouse illumination with its steady smokeless flame. Early models used ground glass which was sometimes tinted around the wick.
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Eddystone Lighthouse
2 – Eddystone, English Channel (Approximate Height: 160 ft)
Wiki Info: With the development of the steady illumination of the Argand lamp, the application of optical lenses to increase and focus the light intensity became a practical possibility. William Hutchinson developed the first practical optical system in 1763, known as a catoptric system.
Bishop Rock Lighthouse
1 – Bishop Rock, Scilly Isles (Approximate Height: 161 ft)
Wiki Info: The advent of electrification and automatic lamp changers began to make lighthouse keepers obsolete. For many years, lighthouses still had keepers, partly because lighthouse keepers could serve as a rescue service if necessary.