Withernsea Lighthouse And Adjoining Pair Of Lighthouse Keepers Houses

The lighthouse and adjoining lighthouse keepers' houses were built between 1892 and 1893, likely by Sir James Douglass or Thomas Matthews, for Trinity House. The building is a prominent landmark and ceased operation in 1976. It is a T-shaped composition, consisting of a tapered octagonal tower with a passage connecting it to a pair of three-room houses on the south side.

The tower stands approximately 38 metres high and is constructed of brick, stuccoed and whitewashed to imitate ashlar. It has six stages culminating in a lantern, with a chamfered plinth and deeply-recessed segmental-headed two-light windows with quoined surrounds and projecting sills. A polychrome painted relief panel on the first floor, north side, displays the Trinity House arms, crest and motto "Trinitas in Unitate" within a raised surround. A deep coved cornice supports railings to the light inspection platform which features cast-iron principals with moulded bases, capitals and finials, and plain rails. The tall, faceted cylindrical lantern has full-height diagonal glazing bars, a domed cupola with handrail, a cylindrical ventilator with a domed cap, and a weather vane.

The houses, on the south side, are two storeys high, with four first-floor windows. They feature a chamfered plinth and quoins. A pair of part-glazed doors, flanked by single-light and two-light cross windows, provide central access. Similar windows are present on the first floor, all within quoined surrounds with projecting sills. The roof is hipped, and three tall black-painted axial stacks rise from the structure, each with chamfered plinths, clustered shafts, stepped cornices, domed caps and cylindrical pots. The east and west elevations mirror this design.

The single-storey passage connecting the houses to the tower has three-bay fronts on both the east and west sides, each providing access via steps to recessed board doors with overlights, flanked by single-light windows. The lighthouse tower contains no floors, except for the inspection chamber and upper lamp room. These are accessed via a spiral staircase built into the interior walls. The building is part of a well-designed group, accompanied by original outbuildings and a garden wall.