South Gare Lighthouse marks the southern entrance to the River Tees, guiding vessels past the dangerous Coatham Rocks off Redcar. In the 19th century, navigation into the Tees was notoriously hazardous. Local lights at Seaton Carew and Hartlepool also warned of offshore dangers, but wrecks were frequent.
Middlesbrough’s rapid growth after the arrival of the Stockton and Darlington Railway created greater demand for deep-water access. Coal from Durham and iron from local works brought larger vessels, which required improved channels and safer entry into the estuary. Calls grew for dredging, piers, and breakwaters to protect shipping.
In 1860, a storm wrecked around 60 vessels off Hartlepool. Advocates argued that proposed piers at Tod Point and opposite on the north side of the river would have given ships safe refuge. Wrecks continued, including the Stonewall Jackson, highlighting the urgent need for improved defences.
Work on the South Gare breakwater began in 1861 under the direction of Sir Joseph Whitwell Pease, chairman of the Tees Conservancy Commission. Construction was difficult, restricted to low tides, and extended over two decades.
The breakwater stretched two miles into the North Sea, creating a safer harbour and accelerating the flow of water to help dredging operations. Around 22 miles of training walls were also built, using slag from iron production as foundation material. As the breakwater extended, railway tracks were laid along its length to transport men and materials from Warrenby iron works.
Unusually, this railway was wind-powered: trucks fitted with sails used the prevailing winds to carry supplies. Once completed, the line was also used to carry lifeboat crews, lighthouse keepers, and military personnel to gun installations. A coastal battery was built in 1891 as part of the Palmerston defence programme.
The breakwater was officially opened on 25 October 1888 by William Henry Smith, First Lord of the Treasury, better known as the newsagent who expanded his father’s WH Smith business.
In 1883, following a petition by merchants and shipowners to Trinity House, a lighthouse was approved for the eastern point of Salt Scar Rocks at Redcar. The 43-foot cast-iron tower was designed by John Fowler, engineer to the Tees Conservancy Commissioners.
When the breakwater reached its northern end, land reclamation created an artificial promontory. At its “knuckle,” South Gare Lighthouse was erected in 1884. Cottages for keepers were built partway down the breakwater, and the light was originally powered by paraffin.
The lighthouse was electrified in 1955, with a diesel generator for backup. That same year, the original lamp was removed, and by the 1960s the station was fully automated. The keeper’s cottages were demolished shortly afterwards.
A fog signal was once fitted to the western side of the tower but was later removed. Around 1980, the chimney and weather vane were also dismantled.
In 2007, South Gare Lighthouse was granted Grade II listed status. It became the first lighthouse in the UK to be powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, using hydrogen produced by electrolysis with only water as a by-product, making it environmentally friendly. Today, it is operated by PD Ports (formerly Tees and Hartlepool Port Authority) and shows a white flashing light with red sectors. The structure itself is accessible, though the lighthouse is protected by security fencing.
At Teesport, on the southern bank of the estuary, new lights were erected when the Norsea Terminal was built in 1975 to guide tankers into the docks. A further pair of red and white beacons marks the channel into the Conoco Phillips terminal at Seal Sands, now a Site of Special Scientific Interest and major wildlife reserve.
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