Whitford Point Lighthouse is the only large wave-swept, cast-iron lighthouse surviving within the UK, and one of only two worldwide. It is noted by Hague (1994: 85), in his authoratative work on Welsh Lighthouses as being of National Importance within the UK. The significance of the lighthouse is recognised in its status as both a Scheduled Monument (Cadw, 1979) and a Grade II* Listed Building (Cadw, 2000). The latter designation noting that it is “a rare survival of a wave-swept cast-iron lighthouse in British coastal waters, and an important work of 19th century lighthouse design and construction”.

The surviving lighthouse was built in 1865 to mark the shoal ground around Whitford Point, on the north-east corner of the Gower and on the southern side of the western entrance to the Lougher estuary. It was constructed by the Llanelli Harbour and Burry Navigation Commissioners to replace an earlier piled wooden structure built in 1854. It seems likely that the station could not have been residential and may have been operated on a system of tidal or daily watches from the mainland. It remained in formal use until 1921, after which it was lit on an irregular seasonal basis (Hague, 1994: 86). Admiralty Sailing Directions dating to 1884 note 'From Whitford lighthouse, a fixed white light is shown from half-flood to half ebb seaward or westward of the bearing NE 3/4 E; it is elevated 55 feet above high water, and can be seen from a distance of 9 miles. There is a red sector southward of the given bearing to warn vessels of their approach to the Scar. When it is considered dangerous to cross the bar, the drum is hoisted at Whiteford lighthouse during the above time of tide.'

Whitford Point Lighthouse is 19.2m in height, from the base of the lowest cast-iron band to the top of the surviving finial. It is 7.1m in diameter around the lowest part of the cast-iron work, and occupies a footprint some 27.5m in diameter inclusive of the base collar and stone apron. The lighthouse is formed of a main tower section, in turn topped by a living-room, lantern, and domed roof with finial.

The tower section of the lighthouse has a height of 12.1m and consists of seven rings of heavy cast-iron plates that are bolted together by external flanges. Hague (1994: 85) notes that this is in contrast to other cast-iron lighthouses which usually utilised internal flanges, but considers the external method would better facilitate erection of the tower during the limited low water working windows at the site. These taper from a diameter of 7.1m at the bottom of the lowest ring, to 3.52m at the top of the seventh ring. The lower levels of the lighthouse tower are reported to be partly filled with stone ballast (Hague, 1994: 85). The living-room is formed by an eighth ring of cast-iron plates, 2.6m high, above which is the glazed lantern itself. The lighthouse roof is domed, the original copper is missing, leaving only ten roof frames visible, the roof is topped with a ball finial (now partially incomplete). The junction between the top of the tower section and the living-room is distinguished by a ten-sided balcony (originally with a wooden floor) and balustrade, supported by ten ornate cast-iron brackets with roundel-decorated spandrels (Hague, 1994: 85). A further, smaller, balcony is arranged around the lantern to facilitate its cleaning. The railings of this are now lost, but the ten support brackets remain in place. When viewed in plan, these are arranged so that they are between the brackets of the main balcony, and in-line with the dome frames.

The lowest cast-iron ring of the tower section is partially encased in a concrete collar, 9.8m in diameter. This is subject to erosive undercutting on its eastern side, which reveals its original vertical thickness to be c. 1.6m. The collar slopes gently downwards from the base of the cast-iron tower for a distance of 1.3m, with a fall of 0.6m, its outer extent is formed by a vertical face c. 1m in height. The outer vertical face of the collar is in turn protected by a pitched stone apron c. 27.5m in diameter. This was constructed with ‘ribs’ of stonework radiating outwards from the collar, infilled with well-laid closely packed smaller stones. A further set of larger header stones around the outside of these was intended to ensure the integrity of the outer edge of the apron.

The lighthouse is reached via a tidal causeway across the foreshore and surrounding mussel beds to the south-eastern side of the stone apron. A ladder mounted on the eastern side originally provided access to the top of the tower section, entering through the main balcony floor. A doorway into the living-room, through the eighth cast-iron ring, gave entry to the interior, with a further ladder leading downwards to the store-room beneath the living-room. Both rooms were lit with a pair of lunette windows set above each other on the western and northern side of the lighthouse. The glazed area of the lantern must have been reached by an internal stairway or ladder from the living-room beneath. The floor of the lantern is now collapsed onto the living-room below. The interior wall of the living-room is lined with bricks, which extend to the window framing of the lantern.

Erosion Monitoring

The stone apron that protects the base of the lighthouse has been observed as suffering from erosion since the early 1990s. This now takes the form of three significant scour areas on the northern, eastern and southern sides of the lighthouse. There is associated undercutting of the concrete collar on its eastern side. The lighthouse was subject to a photogrammetric survey by the RCAHMW in August 2023 (links below) to establish a 3D digital baseline against which prior and subsequent change in the structure could be assessed. A further survey visit was undertaken in October 2024 to begin the process of gathering subsequent comparative data.

Sources Include:
Admiralty; 1884, Sailing Directions for the Bristol Channel, 4th Ed, pg93

Cadw, 1979. Scheduled Monument Description, GM407. Iron Lighthouse at Whitford Point. https://cadwpublic-api.azurewebsites.net/reports/sam/FullReport?lang=en&id=3628

Cadw, 2000. Listed Building Description, No. 22885. Whiteford Lighthouse. https://cadwpublic-api.azurewebsites.net/reports/listedbuilding/FullReport?lang=en&id=22885

Glamorgan-Gwent Historic Environment Record, PRN 00826w: https://archwilio.org.uk/her/chi3/report/page.php?watprn=GGAT00826w

Hague, D., 1994. Lighthouses of Wales. Their Architecture and Archaeology. Aberystwyth: RCAHMW.

RCAHMW Photogrammetry Survey, PGS2023_028, 17/08/2023. View here: https://skfb.ly/oUE8R

J. Whitewright, RCAHMW, March 2025.