Sunderland, Old South Pier Lighthouse

HER Number:
4966

District:
Sunderland

Site Name:
Sunderland, Old South Pier Lighthouse

Place:
Sunderland

Map Sheet:
NZ45NW

Class:
Maritime

Site Type: Broad:
Navigation Aid

Site Type: Specific:
Lighthouse

General Period:
Early Modern

Specific Period:
C19

Form of Evidence:
Structure

Description:
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*

Easting:
4074

Northing:
5978

Grid Reference:
NZ40745978

Lats/Lons:

Sources:
<< HER 4966 >> I. Ayris & S.M. Linsley, 1994, A Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of Tyne and Wear, p 22 Sunderland Planning Dept, 1971, Report on the Old Lighthouse, Inner South Pier and other items Dept. of National Heritage, of Buildings of Special ... Interest