High And Low Lights Of North Shields
Lighthouse North Shields Tyne And Wear

High And Low Lights Of North Shields

Lighthouse In North Shields, Tyne And Wear

Decommissioned leading lights in North Shields.

If you've ever wandered around the North Shields fish quay, you might have spotted these 4 lighthouses. So we thought we would ENLIGHTEN you about their history. If you haven't got the FOGGIEST idea about them, read on and we might BRIGHTEN your day.

The High and Low Lights of North Shields are a pair of decommissioned leading lights. Leading lights are used in navigation to indicate a safe passage for ships and other vessels entering a shallow channel. The beacons consist of two lights separated in distance and elevation, so when they are aligned, one above the other, they provide a bearing for the ship.

The older pair of lights date from 1727 and were operational until 1810. The newer pair took over and remained in use until 1999.

There had been leading lights for many years in North Shields, however. In 1536, Henry VIII gave permission to the Guild of the Blessed Trinity (now Trinity House of Newcastle) to build a pair of lights in North Shields. The granting of the charter coincided with the dissolution of the monasteries, and materials from Blackfriars Monastery in Newcastle were used to build the towers. The pair of lights were used until 1608 and further repairs were carried out on them until 1726. They were replaced with the old lights which remain today.

The old lights were originally lit by candlelight when they came into use in 1727. Candles were replaced by oil lamps in 1773. By 1805, the lights no longer aligned, due to the changing position of sandbanks and the lights were decommissioned.

Construction of the new lights began in 1807 and were designed by local architect John Stokoe. The new lights were also powered by oil lamps until 1861, when oil was replaced by gas, and in 1927, the light was provided by electricity. The new 100,000 candle power lights had a range of 17 nautical miles or 31km.

To this day, the lights still serve as daymarks for vessels entering the Tyne. The Low Lights are located on the Fish Quay near the remains of Cliffords Fort (a 17th century gun battery and barracks); while the High Lights are at Dockwray Square on the ridge above the Quay.

The Old Low Light is now a heritage gallery and exhibition space. Entry is £4 and you can find out more on their website: The Old Low Light.

  Add To Bucket List   I Have Visited This Place

Get 2 points if you have visited this place. Already visited by 130 VIPs.

Login to the VIP area to add places to your bucket list, mark them as visited and more importantly see where you rank on the league table.

How To Find High And Low Lights Of North Shields

Where Is High And Low Lights Of North Shields?

Show Place On Google Maps

Lat / Long

55.009635, -1.433761

What three words

intro.ports.little

Where To Park For High And Low Lights Of North Shields?

Show Parking On Google Maps

Lat / Long

55.01136, 55.01136

What three words

bugs.scuba.posed

Parking is available at Low Lights Car Park NE30 1JH.

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.

More Places from Sandra
Sandra Clemens

More Places In North Shields

Find more fabulous places in North Shields, Tyne And Wear and if you know of a place we haven't listed, then let us know.

River Tyne Old Buoys
River Tyne Old Buoys
Art North Shields Tyne And Wear

Redundant marine buoys that are artfully decorated and now sit on the banks of the River Tyne.

Clifford's Fort
Clifford's Fort
Military North Shields Tyne And Wear

A defensive gun battery established near the mouth of the Tyne during the Anglo Dutch Wars in the 17th Century and used during various later conflicts.

Stan Laurel Statue
Stan Laurel Statue
Statue North Shields Tyne And Wear

A statue of the comedy icon and one half of the legendary duo Laurel and Hardy, Stan Laurel to celebrate his time living in North Tyneside.

More Lighthouses

So this lighthouse wasn't enough and you want more? Don't worry we have you covered.

Longstone Lighthouse
Longstone Lighthouse
Lighthouse Farne Islands Northumberland

Lighthouse built in 1826, where Grace Darling spotted the wreck of the SS Forfarshire.

New Flamborough Lighthouse
New Flamborough Lighthouse
Lighthouse Flamborough East Riding Of Yorkshire

The new Flamborough Head Lighthouse built in 1806.

Roker Lighthouse And Pier
Roker Lighthouse And Pier
Lighthouse Sunderland Tyne And Wear

A stunning example of a lighthouse in Sunderland with a parabolic pier.

Find Walks To High And Low Lights Of North Shields

Find which walks will visit High And Low Lights Of North Shields and plan your next adventure.

Cullercoats To North Shields
Cullercoats To North Shields
8km (5 miles) Cullercoats Tyne And Wear

A wander from Cullercoats to Tynemouth and North Shields and then back via the coastal route.

Never Miss A Fabulous Place

If you are afraid of missing out on all the fabulous places we post, or just want to be the first to know, then sign up to the Fabulous North.

Each week we will email you all the brand new places that we visit.

Sign Up To Alerts
Sign up to newsletter
Fabulous North On Facebook

Find Us On Facebook

We post all our new places daily on our Facebook Groups page, so join the group today and be notified when we add a new place.

Join Our Facebook Group

High And Low Lights Of North Shields was listed in Lighthouse // Tyne And Wear // North Shields