The United Kingdom (officially the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) includes England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The Principality of Wales (Cymru in Welsh) occupies a mountainous peninsula to the west of England, surrounded by water on three sides, the Bristol Channel to the south, the Celtic Sea to the southwest and the Irish Sea to the west and north. Most of the coastline of Wales is rugged, scenic, and hazardous to navigation. The lighthouses of the country are clustered in the north, guarding the approaches to the Mersey, and in the south, guarding the approaches to the Severn. The largest number of lighthouses can be found at the northwestern corner on the Isle of Anglesey and at the southwestern corner in Pembrokeshire. Historically divided into 13 counties, Wales is now divided into 22 council areas, known as principal areas, some styled as counties, some as county boroughs, and some as cities. Sir is the Welsh word for county, corresponding to the English shire. The Welsh language Cymraeg is spoken commonly in many parts of Wales, especially the north and west. The Welsh word for a lighthouse is goleudy; ynys is an island, trywn is a cape, pen is a headland, culfor is a strait, aber is an estuary, afon is a river, and porthladd is a port. The major coastal lighthouses are maintained by Trinity House, the English lighthouse administration. Several, including South Stack, St. Ann's Head, and Nash Point, are among the best known and most visited British lighthouses. Harbor lights are under the control of local port authorities. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from Volume A of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA numbers are from Publication 114.
|
|
Lighthouses of South Wales
|
![]() Redcliffe Range Front Light, Bulwark, October 2019 photo copyright Heather Craven; used by permission |
|
|
|
|
|
![]() Porthcawl Breakwater Light, May 2007 photo copyright Ben Whitmore; used by permission |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
![]() North Breakwater Light, Fishguard, May 2013 photo copyright Arno Siering; used by permission |
Lighthouses of North Wales
|
|
![]() South Stack Light, Holyhead, May 2010 ex-Flickr Creative Commons photo by Neil Wilkie |
|
![]() Holyhead Breakwater Light, Holyhead, May 2013 (Skerries Light is also seen at upper right) Geograph Creative Commons photo by Terry Robinson |
|
![]() The Skerries Light, Llanfairynghornwy, July 2005 Geograph Creative Commons photo by Stephen Elwyn Roddick |
|
|
Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Isle of Man | Northeast: Northwestern England | Southeast: Western England
Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key
Posted November 15, 2004. Checked and revised June 12, 2022. Lighthouses: 48, lightships: 3. Site copyright 2022 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.