Amlwch Lighthouse

The Amlwch Lighthouse (Grid reference: SH 452937) is a lighthouse tower situated on the outer pier of Amlwch, at the northeast tip of Anglesey, Wales. The existing lighthouse, a square tower erected in 1853, is the fourth on this site. It has original fine, but battered, ashlar masonry to a height of 4.6 metres (15 ft); the present lantern was added on top at a later date.

Amlwch Lighthouse
Amlwch Old Harbour
Amlwch Old Harbour light
Wales
LocationAmlwch
Anglesey
Wales
Coordinates53.415323°N 4.332973°W / 53.415323; -4.332973
Year first constructed1793 (first)
Year first lit1817 (current)
Deactivated1972[1]
Constructionashlar masonry
Tower shapesquare tower
Markings / patternunpainted tower
Tower height11 metres (36 ft)
Range6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi)
ARLHS numberWAL- 075
Managing agentIsle of Anglesey Council[2][3]
HeritageGrade II listed building 

History

Two short piers at Amlwch were built following a private Act of Parliament of 1743, when the harbour was improved. Two octagonal houses, with small lanterns protruding from the roof, were added. They were described in the New Seaman's Guide as "small white houses displaying lights at night".

In 1816 an outer pier, about 46 metres (151 ft) long, was built to give shipping extra protection inside the harbour. In 1817, a small lighthouse with a light 8.5 metres (28 ft) above high-water mark was built, subsequently replaced with the present lighthouse.

The drydock and lighthouse on the small creek at Amlwch once served the shipping of one of the largest copper mines in Europe, located at Parys Mountain. The significance of the early copper-exporting port at Amlwch makes the lighthouse part of a heritage site of international importance.

See also

References
  1. Amlwch Lighthouse Archived 25 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine cityseeker. Retrieved 1 June 2016
  2. Amlwch Old Harbour Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 1 June 2016
  3. Amlwch Old Harbour Light Archived 4 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine Lightouse Explorer. Retrieved 1 June 2016

Further reading

Hague, D. B., Lighthouses of Wales: Their Architecture and Archaeology (Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, edited by Hughes, S., 1994) ISBN 1-871184-08-8

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