Withernsea Lighthouse And Adjoining Pair Of Lighthouse Keepers Houses

WITHERNSEA HULL ROAD 5266 TA 32 NW (south side) 4/93 Withernsea Lighthouse and adjoining pair of 16-10-85 lighthouse keepers' houses (formerly listed as The Lighthouse) GV II

Lighthouse and adjoining lighthouse keepers' houses. 1892-3, probably by Sir James Douglass or Thomas Matthews, for Trinity House. Brick, stuccoed and whitewashed; incised in imitation of ashlar to houses. Welsh slate roof to houses. T-shaped on plan: tapered octagonal tower with passage to pair of 3-room houses adjoining on south side; entrances to passage, and north and south sides of houses. Tower: 6 stages, surmounted by lantern; overall height approximately 38 metres. Chamfered plinth. Deeply-recessed segmental-headed 2-light windows with quoined surrounds and projecting sills. Polychrome painted relief panel to first floor, north side, with Trinity House arms, crest and motto "Trinitas in Unitate" in raised surround with sill. Deeply-coved cornice carrying railings to light inspection platform with cast-iron square column principals with moulded bases, capitals and finials, and plain rails. Tall faceted cylindrical lantern with full-height diagonal glazing bars and domed cupola with handrail, surmounted by cylindrical ventilator with handrail, domed cap and weather- vane. Houses, south side: 2 storeys, 4 first-floor windows. Chamfered plinth, quoins. Steps to pair of central part-glazed doors flanked by single-light and 2-light cross windows, 4 simlar w indows to first,floor. All opening In quoined surrounds; projecting sills to windows. Overhanging eaves. Hipped roof. 3 black painted tall axial stacks with chamfered plinths and clustered shafts, stepped cornices, domed caps and cylindrical pots. Similar windows and details to east and west elevations. Main entrances to north have steps to recessed board doors with overlights. Single storey passage linking houses and tower has 3-bay east and west fronts, each with steps to a recessed 2-fold board door with overlight flanked by single-light windows. Interior. The lighthouse tower contains no floors apart from that of the inspection chamber and upper lamp room, reached by a spiral staircase on the interior walls. A prominent lankmark, it ceased operation in 1976. Sir James Nicholas Douglass (1826-98) was Engineer-in-Chief for Trinity House from 1863-92, for whom he designed 20 new towers, including Eddystone and Bishop Rock. He was succeeded by Thomas Matthews, who designed the 1893-5 Spurn Lighthouse (qv). A well-designed group, with accompanying range of original outbuildings and garden wall (qv). D Jackson, Lighthouses of England and Wales, 1975, p 105; D B Hague and R Christie, Lighthouses: their architecture, history and archaeology, 1975, p 217.

Listing NGR: TA3393327967