Lizard Lighthhouse

Fun activities

• Climb the lighthouse tower
• Power up and sound a foghorn
• Track ships in the local area
• Find out about the weather and complete a weather log book
• Build a lighthouse
• Send a message using Morse Code
• Learn about semaphore and signal flags
• Discover the history and development of Safety at Sea
• Identify the different shapes, colours and markings of buoys used to mark safe routes
• Listen to Lighthouse Keepers' stories and learn about living and working on a lighthouse
• And much more...

Lizard Lighthouse is a landfall and coastal mark giving a guide to vessels in passage along the English Channel and warning of the hazardous waters off Lizard Point.

Many stories are told of the activities of wreckers around our coasts, most of which are grossly exaggerated, but small communities occasionally and sometimes officially benefited from the spoils of shipwrecks, and petitions for lighthouses were, in certain cases, rejected on the strength of local opinion; this was particularly true in the South West of England.

The distinctive twin towers of the Lizard Lighthouse mark the most southerly point of mainland Britain. The coastline is particularly hazardous, and from early times the need for a beacon was obvious. Sir John Killigrew, a philanthropic Cornishman, applied for a patent. Apparently, because it was thought that a light on Lizard Point would guide enemy vessels and pirates to a safe landing, the patent was granted with the proviso that the light should be extinguished at the approach of the enemy. Killigrew agreed to erect the lighthouse at his own expense, for a rent of "twenty nobles by the year", for a term of thirty years. Although he was willing to build the tower, he was too poor to bear the cost of maintenance, and intended to fund the project by collecting from ships that passed the point any voluntary contributions that the owners might offer him. In spite of the difficulty of recruiting local labour, the tower was finished by Christmas 1619, and proved a great benefit to mariners. However, the shipowners offered nothing for its upkeep, and the mounting costs of maintenance were bankrupting Killigrew. Thus, in the face of more opposition from Trinity House, James I set a fee of one halfpenny a ton on all vessels passing the light. This caused such an uproar from the shipowners that the patent was withdrawn, the light extinguished and the tower demolished.

Contact Details:

Lizard Lighthouse

Helston

Cornwall

TR12 7NT

Telephone: 01326 290202

Opening Times: 

April - June - 11am until 5pm Sunday to Thursday (Closed Fri and Sat) Also open Good Friday and Easter Sunday)

July - 11am until 6pm Sunday to Friday Plus sat 23rd to 30th

August - 11am until 6.30pm Open Daily

September - 11am until 5pm Sunday to Friday

Ocotber - 11am until 4pm Sunday to Thursday

November - December - 11am until 3pm Sunday to Wednesday

2012

January - CLOSED
February - March - 11am until 3pm Sunday to Wednesday