The history of Souter Lighthouse

Souter Lighthouse from the South. Image courtesy of dkodigital through creative commons.

Souter Lighthouse is located in the village of Marsden in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. The lighthouse was designed by James Douglass and  was the first lighthouse in the world to be designed and built to use an alternating current (electricity). When it was opened in 1871 it was the most advanced lighthouse of its time.

The foundation stone of the lighthouse was ceremonially laid by Admiral Collinson’s sister Mrs Blain on 9 June 1869. As mentioned in the Shields Gazette and Daily Telegraph 9 June, 1869. The contract for building the lighthouse and keeper’s cottage was reported in March of the same year as being £8,000.

The lighthouse was a much needed aid for ships that were navigating in nearby waters on South  Tyneside. The waters have hidden reefs below them meaning ships could easily be damaged by unseen rocks on the coast. In the year of 1860 it is reported that there were 20 shipwrecks along the coastline.  It certainly warrants its reputation as one of the most dangerous coastlines with around 44 shipwrecks per mile of the shores.

Souter Lighthouse. Image courtesy of philip_pky through creative commons.

Souter is located on Lizard Point but takes the name Souter Point which can be found a mile south and was the initial build site of the lighthouse. However it was felt Lizard Point gave better visibility as the cliffs were higher. The name was also kept to avoid confusion with the Lizard Lighthouse in Cornwall.

The Souter’s Light. Image courtesy of damian entwistle through creative commons.

The lighthouse  had  an 800,000 candle power light which was generated by a carbon arc generator and could be seen for up to 26 miles. Carbon arcs were pioneered in lighthouses by Professor Frederick Hales Holmes in  1840-1875.  One of the Holmes generators built in 1867 and used at Souter is now on display at the Science Museum, London. The video below shows how a carbon arc lights work.

The Souter’s foghorn has seen many changes over the years. When the lighthouse was initially  built it had a single horn which was a clay and iron pipe design facing straight out to sea. This was replaced in 1873 by a pair of twin horns of the same design but this time angled to spread the noise up and down the coast. These were replaced by twin Rayleigh trumpets in the 1920s however in 1953 these were replaced and gave way to the present diaphone fog horns.

The horns produced a five-second blast every 30 seconds in poor weather up until 1988, when Souter Lighthouse was decommissioned. However it continued to serve as a radio navigation beacon up until 1999 when it was finally closed.

The Souter’s Foghorns. Image courtesy of Danny through creative commons.

The foghorns remain in working order and are sounded on special occasions throughout the year, most notably during the monthly Engine Room Day, which is held at the lighthouse during the summer months.

One of the lighthouses most well known keepers was Robert Darling, the nephew of the well known North East heroin Grace Darling, he was a lighthouse keeper at Souter for 24 years between 1873 – 1897.  He continued a tradition of his family of being a lighthouse keeper that dated back to his great grandfather. Born in 1846 Robert never knew his aunt Grace who died young at the age of 27 in 1842.

Grace Darling memorial. Image courtesy of Mags L Halliday through creative commons.

Souter now owned by the National Trust remains in its original operational state except for updates to its lantern and electrics over its lifespan. The engine room, light tower and keeper’s living quarters are all on view to the public. So visitors can experience what life was like to be a Victorian lighthouse keeper.  You can also climb to the top of the 76 steps to the top of the lighthouse to see breathtaking views. 

One of the lighthouse’s bedrooms. Image courtesy of damian entwistle through creative commons.

There are also two holiday cottages on the site which used to be the lighthouse keepers cottages. However before staying I would check out the fact the lighthouse has been on TV’s “Most Haunted” ghost hunting programme.

The Haunted Souter Lighthouse.

The History of Souter Lighthouse

Souter Lighthouse