Flamborough Old Lighthouse
Lighthouse In Flamborough, East Riding Of Yorkshire
Built in 1674 from white chalk by Sir John Clayton and George Blake.
We've covered a huge amount of places on Fabulous North now, so we are starting to look a bit further afield for inspiration. Flamborough is a lovely village in the East Riding of Yorkshire, which sits right on the edge of the Yorkshire Coast. We visited Flamborough in May 2024 and although we went for some bird spotting, there were plenty of other points of interest including this 17th century lighthouse, a few minutes walk from the cliffs.
The lighthouse was completed in 1674 by Sir John Clayton and George Blake and was made with brilliant white chalk. The duo were granted patents from Charles II to build 3 other lighthouses along the East coast including one on the Farne Islands, however, there is no evidence on the Farnes to suggest that a lighthouse was built at this time. A beacon may have been placed on Prior Castell's Tower in lieu of an actual lighthouse.
It did cross my mind when we visited that there was no actual means of emitting light from the Flamborough lighthouse, however, it is believed that a fire may have burned in a metal basket hung from the top of the building, though there is no evidence that there was ever a fire lit. It worked as a daymark too and can be seen all along the coastline at Flamborough Head and by ships passing on the North Sea.
Ships that passed in the 17th century were required to pay a tax to the architects of the lighthouse to pay for the light, however the tax was voluntary so not surprisingly many mariners refused to pay and this led to John Clayton becoming bankrupt and the end of the lighthouse.
The lighthouse was given another life in the 1840s and was used by local man George Mainprize to transmit semaphore messages to passing vessels and possibly to the fort at nearby Bridlington. Now it is a grade II listed building and it opens to the public on various days during the summer months. There is usually no access inside the tower, and there is a friendly warning about flying golf balls if you dare to trespass on the Flamborough Head Golf Course.
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How To Find Flamborough Old Lighthouse
Where Is Flamborough Old Lighthouse?
Lat / Long
54.118033, -0.089519
What three words
Where To Park For Flamborough Old Lighthouse?
Lat / Long
54.116173, 54.116173
What three words
There is a car park at the Flamborough Head and Lighthouse car park.
Contributed by Sandra Clemens
I love the great outdoors and have been a National Trust & English Heritage member for years. I also love going off the beaten track and finding places like Sharp's Folly or Rothley Castle which are hidden gems in Northumberland. My favourite recent hike was climbing Red Screes in the Lake District on a whim, not fully grasping how high 776m was. It was still an achievement to conquer a Wainwright walk and I hope to do more one day.
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