Killingholme Lighthouses

Three lighthouses once guided ships along the busy southern banks of the River Humber at Killingholme: the High Light, the South Low Light, and the North Low Light. Although no longer operational, these towers remain standing—now surrounded by industrial development.

For centuries, the Humber has served as a major waterway for vessels heading to Kingston upon Hull. Spurn Point Lighthouse marks the entrance to the estuary, and further upstream lies Immingham, now home to a large petrochemical terminal.

Originally, responsibility for navigational aids on the Humber lay with Hull Trinity House, an independent body affiliated with the Corporation of Trinity House in London. To improve navigation for ships rounding Spurn Point and heading inland, they proposed constructing a pair of leading lights on Killingholme Marshes.

In 1836, local builder William Hearfield was contracted to construct two towers 620 feet apart. Designed by Francis Dales, the Killingholme lighthouses were made of brick and cement, and rendered inside and out. The taller of the two, the High Light, stood 60 feet high and showed a fixed white light 54 feet above sea level. The South Low Light was 45 feet high, also with a fixed white light at 32 feet elevation.

The lighthouse keeper lived in a cottage beside the High Light and was responsible for both towers. At the same time, a new lighthouse was being built across the river at Paull.

In 1845, pilots on the Humber requested that the High Light be made more visible, prompting a 20-foot height extension. As shifting sandbanks altered the river channel, further navigational changes were needed. In 1852, a new Low Light—the North Low Light—was built at Killingholme. The original Low Light then became known as the South Low Light. A keeper’s cottage, designed by William Foale, was added beside the new North tower.

After these additions, ships would navigate from Spurn Point by aligning the High and South Low Lights. Then, further upstream, they would follow a second alignment of the High and North Low Lights to guide them safely between Killingholme and Paull. A red sector light was also introduced at Paull Lighthouse to help mark the channel.

To avoid confusion among the three white-painted towers, the High Light was painted red in 1860.

Tragedy struck on 5 September 1865 when keeper Thomas Leaper fell from the gallery of the High Light and later died of his injuries.

In 1875, storm damage revealed structural weaknesses in the High Light. It was demolished and replaced with a new tower made of concrete, three feet thick at the base, built on the same footprint. Temporary lights were used during construction, and the new High Light entered service in December 1876.

Another pair of leading lights was later established south of Killingholme, though they were not part of the same alignment system. There is no trace of these lights today.

In 1908, responsibility for the Killingholme lighthouses was transferred from Hull Trinity House to the newly created Humber Conservancy Board.

Changing river conditions eventually made the North Low Light obsolete, and it was discontinued in 1920. The former keeper’s accommodation there served as a signal station for Hull trawlers for a time, before being sold into private hands.

The High and South Low Lights continued to be manned by two keepers each until the 1950s. After their withdrawal, the cottages were demolished.

By the 1960s, the High Light underwent modernisation, and in 1987, its light colour was changed to red.

In 2005, Associated British Ports proposed replacing the Killingholme lights, which had become obscured by oil berths at Immingham. A sector light was added to the High Light in 2006. However, both the High and South Low Lighthouses were officially discontinued in 2017.

In 2015, work began on improving the road for the Port of Immingham, and the same time, the owner was fighting a compulsory purchase order.