Description

WITHERNSEA HULL ROAD
5266
TA 32 NW
(south side)
4/93 Withernsea Lighthouse and
adjoining pair of
16-10-85
lighthouse keepers'
houses
(formerly listed as The
Lighthouse)
GV II

Lighthouse and adjoining lighthouse keepers' houses. 1892-3, probably by
Sir James Douglass or Thomas Matthews, for Trinity House. Brick, stuccoed
and whitewashed; incised in imitation of ashlar to houses. Welsh slate roof
to houses. T-shaped on plan: tapered octagonal tower with passage to pair
of 3-room houses adjoining on south side; entrances to passage, and north
and south sides of houses. Tower: 6 stages, surmounted by lantern; overall
height approximately 38 metres. Chamfered plinth. Deeply-recessed
segmental-headed 2-light windows with quoined surrounds and projecting
sills. Polychrome painted relief panel to first floor, north side, with
Trinity House arms, crest and motto "Trinitas in Unitate" in raised surround
with sill. Deeply-coved cornice carrying railings to light inspection
platform with cast-iron square column principals with moulded bases,
capitals and finials, and plain rails. Tall faceted cylindrical lantern
with full-height diagonal glazing bars and domed cupola with handrail,
surmounted by cylindrical ventilator with handrail, domed cap and weather-
vane. Houses, south side: 2 storeys, 4 first-floor windows. Chamfered
plinth, quoins. Steps to pair of central part-glazed doors flanked by
single-light and 2-light cross windows, 4 simlar w indows to first,floor. All opening In
quoined surrounds; projecting sills to windows. Overhanging eaves. Hipped
roof. 3 black painted tall axial stacks with chamfered plinths and
clustered shafts, stepped cornices, domed caps and cylindrical pots.
Similar windows and details to east and west elevations. Main entrances to
north have steps to recessed board doors with overlights. Single storey
passage linking houses and tower has 3-bay east and west fronts, each with
steps to a recessed 2-fold board door with overlight flanked by single-light
windows. Interior. The lighthouse tower contains no floors apart from that
of the inspection chamber and upper lamp room, reached by a spiral staircase
on the interior walls. A prominent lankmark, it ceased operation in 1976.
Sir James Nicholas Douglass (1826-98) was Engineer-in-Chief for Trinity
House from 1863-92, for whom he designed 20 new towers, including Eddystone
and Bishop Rock. He was succeeded by Thomas Matthews, who designed the
1893-5 Spurn Lighthouse (qv). A well-designed group, with accompanying
range of original outbuildings and garden wall (qv). D Jackson, Lighthouses
of England and Wales, 1975, p 105; D B Hague and R Christie, Lighthouses:
their architecture, history and archaeology, 1975, p 217.

Listing NGR: TA3393327967

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Withernsea Lighthouse at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q8028157

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)