Sunderland, Old South Pier Lighthouse

In 1856 a fine wrought iron lighthouse was built on the old South Pier. At the top of the tower was a cast iron dome and internal access to the light was by a cast iron staircase. The 50 feet high structure was designed by Thomas Meik who also designed the Hendon Dock and one of the nearby dock-side warehouses, which survived until the early 1990s. The lighthouse can be seen today on the Roker sea front, not in its original position, having been dismantled and re-erected in 1983 when the Sunderland Port Authority shortened the pier to create an easier and safer entrance into the river. The white painted lighthouse consists of a base of cast iron, atop which is a tapering conical shaft of rivetted steel, above which is a cast iron dome containing the light, and a gallery. Internally there is a cast iron spiral staircase around a central column. Above the doorway to the lighthouse is a small circular plaque showing a sextant and the date 1856. The lighthouse is set on a circular base of two stone steps, and is surrounded by railings. LISTED GRADE 2*