Winterton Lighthouse

The current Winterton Lighthouse was established in 1840 and is one of several lighthouses that marked this corner of the Norfolk coast.

The Winterton coastline differed significantly from the line it takes on maps today. The Ness at Winterton was the most prominent point along the east coast, except for Lowestoft. Writer Daniel Defoe first came to Winterton in 1722 after writing Robinson Crusoe. There, he discovered a village built almost entirely out of shipwrecks.

The rapid expansion of the coal trade brought repeated requests for the coastline to be lit. Trinity House surveyed the Yarmouth Roads in 1600, and as a result, two lighthouses were established at Caister. Further lights were established at Lowestoft in 1609, but the coast off Winterton remained unlit.

In 1615, Sir William Erskine and Dr Welwood applied to erect a lighthouse. Trinity House objected and sought to build a lighthouse themselves. A lengthy legal battle ensued, and Welwood sold his share to John Meldrum. In February 1617, Erskine and Meldrum received a patent to build their private lighthouse. By June 1617, the Tower Lighthouse, as it became known, was completed, with no charges levied until the following April. Trinity House then accused them of charging excessive light dues. Following a Board of Enquiry, Meldrum became the sole interest.

Trinity House was ordered to extinguish its original light. However, the patentees broke into the lighthouse to keep it lit until they had completed their new Tower Light.

 Meldrum acquired patents for Orfordness Lighthouse and North Foreland and South Foreland Lighthouse. He then disposed of his Orfordness and Winterton grants. A new license was issued incorporating Winterton and Orfordness for 50 years, expiring in 1687.

 The coastline dramatically changed following several storms around 1670. By 1677, a new channel had formed inshore, offering deeper and more direct entry into Yarmouth Roads.

 Trinity House built a Low Light on the foreshore to act as a front light to the existing Tower Light. These leading lights would guide ships into the safe approach of the channel. Two separate light dues were levied; the Low Light by Trinity House and the Tower Light by its private owner.

 By 1684, the Low Light was in danger of being washed away, so it was moved further up the beach. Such was the rate of erosion that, within another three years, it was under threat again. Moving it again would mean that the tower light would also need to be rebuilt.

By now, ownership of the Tower Light had passed to Edward Turnour. Turnour worked with Trinity House to set up a new pair of lights. His new brick-built octagonal light was 70ft high on the edge of a low cliff, providing an additional 20ft of elevation. Trinity House established a new masonry Low Light on the foreshore, known as the Small Light. Both lights were exhibited in September 1687, adequately lighting the Yarmouth Roads.

 The two lights on the Ness, now also leased to Turnour, continued to serve as an alternative approach to the channel. These were primarily for the benefit of local fishermen and became known as the “Fishermen’s Lights”. They were known more widely as the “Thwart Lights” since any vessel following their line would be “Thwart the tide”.

The front Thwart light was washed away in 1714 and had to be replaced. Shortly afterwards, a lightvessel on Cockle Sands was proposed. But Trinity House instructed the Thwart lights to realign their bearings.

On 31st October 1789, the east coast was hit by a severe storm, resulting in many ships and hundreds of lives being lost. A subsequent enquiry revealed that the Winterton and Caister lights had caused confusion. Trinity House applied to build two leading lights at Happisburgh to replace the Small Light at Winterton.

The Tower light still had an unglazed coal fire, though the Ness lights had been converted from candle to oil. Trinity House ordered the Tower light to be converted to oil. A glazed lantern was installed with reflectors and an oil burner in each. The upgraded tower was first lit on 23rd November 1791, showing a fixed light visible for 14 miles.

The Thwart Lights were discontinued between 1817 and 1828, and the two towers on the Ness were demolished around 1830.

 An Act of Parliament in 1836 ended private ownership of lighthouses. From this time, Trinity House was allowed to purchase any remaining leases.

Sir Edward Turnour’s old tower was replaced in 1840 by a 69ft high circular masonry tower. It stood on a low ridge, increasing its elevation to 110ft above sea level. A light was first exhibited in the autumn of 1840, using 11 oil burners and reflectors. In 1898, it was described as a circular red tower, displaying a fixed bright light, visible for 16 miles. Further improvements came in 1863 when a triple-wick Argand lamp with a fixed prismatic lens replaced the oil lamps and reflectors.

 Improvements to navigation of the waters off Winterton were made in 1843 by establishing a floating light marking the Cockle Sand.

 In 1884, the Low Light at Happisburgh was discontinued, partly due to coastal erosion. Yet at Winterton, the reverse effect was taking place. Marram grass planted along the low-lying coast formed a barrier of dunes, which established a valley between the lighthouse and the shoreline.

By the First World War, the Yarmouth Roads channel was well lit, so the lighthouse was no longer required. Winterton Lighthouse was extinguished in the autumn of 1921. The lighthouse was sold by auction on 25th January 1922 at the Star Hotel, Great Yarmouth, with its lantern and equipment removed. The sale details report that the lantern was taken to Bombay. However, other documentation suggests it may have gone to a lighthouse in the Bahamas.

Between 1922 and the Second World War, the lighthouse was used as a seaside residence for Viscount Elmley, MP for East Norfolk.  In 1939, the military authorities took over the site to establish an emergency gun battery at Winterton. Gun emplacements and bunkers were excavated from the garden in front of the lighthouse. A brick, flat-roofed lookout was placed at the top of the tower.

Following the Second World War, it once again became a private residence, and the lookout was converted into a room with a panoramic view.

In 1966 the now derelict lighthouse was sold again to the proprietors of Hermanus, the adjoining holiday complex. The lighthouse paddock was developed with holiday homes.

 In 2005, the tower came onto the market and was bought by the current owners. The lighthouse was renovated into a contemporary second home. Many features were added, including the new lantern, which provides a panoramic lookout and bedroom in the roof.