Construction brick tower Current lens 4th Order Catadioptric Opened 1839 NGA number 5596 | Focal height 44 m (144 ft) Height 11 m Automated 1983 Year first constructed 1839 | |
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Location South Bishop islandSt George's ChannelWalesUnited Kingdom Tower shape cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern Markings / pattern white tower and lantern Similar Skokholm Lighthouse, Caldey Lighthouse, St Tudwal’s Lighthouse, Skerries Lighthouse, Hilbre Island Lighthouse | ||
The South Bishop Lighthouse is a lighthouse on South Bishop Island (also known as Emsger), a small rock approximately 5 miles (8 km) west of St Davids Head in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
History
Designed by James Walker, it was built on the island in 1839, acting both as a waymark for vessels navigating offshore and as assistance to ships navigating around the island group.
The lighthouse was converted to electric operation in 1959, and in 1971 a helipad was constructed at the site. Finally, the lighthouse was automated and demanned in 1983.
Like many in the UK, it is now monitored from the control centre at Trinity House in Harwich, Essex, England.
It was built in the path of many migrating sea birds, and the brilliance of the light at night often led the birds to dash themselves against the lantern. Many died and, when Trinity House and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds teamed up, they together came to the conclusion to build special bird perches on the side of the lighthouse lantern. After this the amount of deaths decreased considerably.