Foreland Point Lighthouse and Adjoining Retaining Walls is a Grade II listed building in the Exmoor National Park local planning authority area, England. First listed on 24 November 1988. Lighthouse. 1 related planning application.

Foreland Point Lighthouse and Adjoining Retaining Walls

WRENN ID
quiet-loggia-smoke
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
Exmoor National Park
Constituency
North Devon MP: Ian Roome (LD)
Country
England
Date first listed
24 November 1988
Type
Lighthouse
Address
Foreland Point Lighthouse and Adjoining Retaining Walls, EX35 6NE
OS grid reference
SS 753 510
Coordinates
51.24538, -3.7867
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: EPC · related consents · flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The lighthouse at Foreland Point, along with its adjoining retaining walls, was constructed in 1900, with alterations made in the mid-to-late 20th century. The lighthouse is built of cement rendered, lined to resemble ashlar, likely over a rubble core, and has a hipped Welsh slate roof with painted metal fittings on the tower. The retaining walls are of painted rubble with rounded copings and granite steps.

The building occupies a steep slope, incorporating a terrace with retaining walls and flights of steps leading down to the circular tower situated on the north (seaward) side. The tower comprises two stages and a domestic range of one storey with a basement. The lower stage of the tower features a plinth and frieze, with small-headed wooden casements set within raised quoined surrounds, and a flat-roofed addition to the seaward side that houses fog signal equipment. The upper stage has a projecting railed walkway, lattice metal glazing bars (with metal panels shielding the lights on the landward side), a domed metal roof with a handrail, and a low-domed cylindrical cap topped with a gilded weathervane. A covered staircase link connects the tower to the domestic range, including frieze and cornice bands and a blocking course, with small wooden casements and quoined surrounds. The domestic range features raised quoins, a string course, architrave and frieze details, and three axial brick stacks along the ridge. It has a three-bay front with wooden cross windows, raised quoined surrounds, and three-bay end elevations with wooden cross windows and central boarded doorways, all with raised quoined surrounds.

Inside the tower, most original features remain, though it was converted to electricity in 1975. The lamp sits on a mercury bath supported by six cast-iron columns and rotates at four turns per second. The ground floor houses a central weight pit (formerly used for a winding system) and a curved wooden glazed cupboard with a lead-lined sink. A cast-iron staircase has a brass handrail, and brass fittings are used throughout. A plaque commemorates the lighthouse's construction and details the involvement of the Duke of York, Captain Vyvyan, and Engineer-in-Chief T. Matthews. The interior of the domestic range was not inspected.

Local climate

Foreland Point Lighthouse and Adjoining Retaining Walls sits in one of the wettest parts of the UK, with an average of 1,180 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 90% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 98% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 8 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 93% of listed buildings. Of these, 4 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

Sign in or create a free account to unlock:

  • Full EPC report — heating system, energy costs, size, glazing, construction etc.
  • No sale records on file
  • Related listed building consents — 1 application
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Create free account

Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.

Similar buildings

The closest matches to this building from all 493,000 UK listed buildings, by architecture, period and materials.

Nearby listed buildings

  1. Church of Saint John Grade II* 1.5 km
  2. The Exmoor Sandpiper Inn Grade II 1.6 km
  3. The Annexe Town Farm Cottages Grade II 1.7 km
  4. Dewcombe Grade II 2.1 km
  5. Coombe Farmhouse Grade II 2.5 km
  6. Watersmeet House Grade II 2.6 km
  7. The Old Farmhouse Grade II 2.7 km
  8. Wilsham Farmhouse Grade II 2.7 km
  9. Leeford Bridge (That Part in Brendon Cp) Grade II 3.2 km
  10. The Manor House and Attached Wall and Stable Block Grade II 3.3 km