St Margaret'S Old Lighthouse

St Margaret's Old Lighthouse is a lighthouse built in 1795 and rebuilt in 1843. It features red brick rendered with Roman cement and has a cast iron lantern. The lighthouse has an octagonal plan and stands two storeys high, topped with machicolated battlements. The lantern has latticed windows, and there are two four-centred arched doorways; one leads to the basement and the other, to the right, leads to the main staircase, with a niche between them. Inside, the staircase winds within the main chamber, which has cast iron floors. The walls were originally panelled and some of this panelling survives. The cast iron lantern once had a light that floated on a bed of mercury to maintain balance, although the glazing has been lost. A single-storey outbuilding mentioned in a previous survey has been lost due to the receding cliffline. The lighthouse was sold by Trinity House when the Goodwin Lightship was established.