Point of Ayre Lighthouse, IOM
Region:
Red Wheel Site:
Transport Mode(s):
Address:
Point of Ayre, Isle of Man IM7 4
Postcode:
Visitor Centre:
Website:
Visit websiteThe Point of Ayre lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse on the Isle of Man. It was designed and built by Robert Stevenson, grandfather of prolific writer and novelist Robert Louis Stevenson, and was first lit in 1818. The light has a nominal range of around 19 miles (27 kilometres) at an elevation of 104 feet (32 metres). Painted with two distinctive red bands, the light can be seen clearly from across the water in south-west Scotland.
Owing to the continuous accumulation of shingle and gravel deposited by the strong currents, a smaller light commonly referred to as a 'winkie' had to be built 750 feet (231 metres) to the seaward side of the main tower in 1899. This was then repositioned a further 250 feet (77 metres) in the same direction and for the same reasons in 1950. The 'winkie' light was discontinued on 7th.April 2010
The lighthouse buildings and land have been in private ownership since 1993 when the light was fully automated. The light continues to be maintained by the Northern Lighthouse Board based in Edinburgh.
By Road: At the northernmost point of the Isle of Man
Bowen, J.P., British Lighthouses, British Council, ASIN: B001A8HS24 (1947)
Denton, A. & Leach, Nicholas, Lighthouses of England and Wales: A Complete Guide, Landmark Publishing, ISBN-10: 1843063190 (2007)
Hague, Douglas and Christie, Rosemary, Lighthouses, Their Architecture, History and Archaeology, Gomer Press, ISBN-0850883245(1975)
Naish, John, Seamarks, Their History and Development Adlard Coles Nautical, ISBN-10: 0540073091 (1985)
Nicholson, Christopher, Rock lighthouses of Britain; The end of an era?, Whittles Publishing, ISBN 1870325419. (1995)
Payton, Charles, Lighthouses: Towers of the Sea, National Trust Books, ISBN-10: 1905400128 (2006)
Woodman, Richard & Wilson, Jane, The Lighthouses of Trinity House, ISBN 1 904050 00 X (2002)