Seaton Carew Lighthouse

Seaton Carew Lighthouse stands today within Hartlepool Marina, but originally it worked as a leading light with the Low Lighthouse. The pair of lighthouses at Seaton Carew were both 70 feet tall, and built to guide ships safely into the River Tees. The Low Light was demolished over a century ago.

The earliest records suggest that Seaton Carew had a lighthouse as early as the 15th century, but the two later lighthouses were constructed between 1838 and 1839 to mark the Long Scar Rocks, which lay around a mile off the coastline.

In the 19th century, commercial growth at the docks of West Hartlepool created pressure to improve access to the River Tees. In response, the Tees Navigation Company commissioned a pair of leading lighthouses at Seaton Carew to guide vessels safely into the river channel.

Seaton Carew Low Lighthouse stood on what is now Coronation Drive, near the junction with Lawson Road. The 70-foot-tall hexagonal tower had an elevation of 34 feet above mean high water and displayed a fixed red light.

To the north of the Low Light, Hartlepool steelworks were later built. The glow from the plant’s furnaces was so bright that, in a Board of Trade report into the grounding of the Vine in January 1877, it was suggested mariners may have mistaken the glow for the Low Light’s signal.

The High Lighthouse stood 1,189 yards inland to the west, at the end of what is now Windermere Road within Longhill Industrial Estate. Built in 1838, the 70-foot tower was formed as a Tuscan column of ashlar sandstone. With an elevation of 89 feet above mean high tide, its light shone on a higher plane.

Inside, the staircase was lit by narrow slit windows. Known locally as Longhill Lighthouse, the High Light displayed a fixed white light. When aligned with the red light of the Low Light, the pair guided ships safely into the Tees or Hartlepool harbour, avoiding the dangerous rocks. Keepers’ cottages were built alongside the tower.

In 1884, a new lighthouse was completed on the breakwater at South Gare on the south bank of the Tees. For several years, both sets of lights operated together. However, in 1892 the Tees Conservancy Commissioners discontinued the Seaton Carew lights.

The Low Light was probably demolished around 1902 to make way for a new coastal road and tramway between Hartlepool and Seaton Carew. Its impending loss may have inspired local artist Thomas Grainger to paint the lighthouse before it disappeared.

The High Lighthouse remained at Longhill, eventually surrounded by a tin recycling plant. By 1985, the disused structure was in a state of disrepair and had lost its gallery. Recognised as an important heritage building, it was granted Grade II listed status.

In 1995, the tower — by then known as Seaton Tower — was dismantled and carefully relocated brick by brick by the Teesside Development Corporation. Rebuilt at Hartlepool Marina’s Jackson’s Landing, it was later moved to the Headland, where it still stands today among other historic maritime structures.

Two years later, it was rededicated as a memorial to those who have lost their lives at sea.

Within Hartlepool’s Historic Quay is the Museum of Hartlepool, part of the National Museum of the Royal Navy. Pilot Pier Lighthouse and The Heugh Lighthouse are also a short distance away.