Wolf Rock Lighthouse

Wolf Rock Lighthouse stands on a reef in the Atlantic, eight nautical miles (about 9 miles) off Land’s End, and it is a working navigation aid rather than a visitor attraction. The granite tower is 41 metres high, with the light 34 metres above mean high water. It flashes once every 15 seconds and has a range of 16 nautical miles.

Getting a light onto the rock took Trinity House most of the 19th century. Henry Smith put up an iron mast topped with a metal wolf in 1795, but the Atlantic soon carried it away. An iron beacon designed by James Walker stood on the rock from 1836 to 1840, and it still forms part of the present landing. Work on Walker’s granite tower began in 1861, following the lines of Smeaton’s Eddystone tower. It was completed on 19 July 1869 and the light came into service early the following year.

The lighthouse was electrified in 1955. In 1972 it became the first rock lighthouse with a helideck built on top of the lantern housing. It was automated and demanned in July 1988 and is now monitored and controlled from the Trinity House Planning Centre in Harwich, Essex. For the mainland end of the story, see Land’s End.