This lighthouse was build around 1172 and is the oldest lighthouse of the UK and Ireland. The original tower, 18 m (60 ft) tall, was begun by Raymond LeGros, a Norman noble, and completed in the early 1200s by William Marshal, Earl of Pembrokeshire. At some later time (little is known about the early history of the light), the tower was enclosed by a larger tower, 24 m (80 ft) tall, with a spiral stairway between the older and newer outer walls. The lighthouse displayed a fire tended by Augustine monks until the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1641. The light was extinguished until 1667, when it was renewed by Sir Richard Reading. The open fires were finally replaced by a lantern in the 1790s; the present lantern and Fresnel lens were installed in 1864. After being automated in 1996, the station became a well-known historic attraction. It has a small visitor center and they offer guided tours. Official website: www.hookheritage.ie

ARLHS Number: IRE-038
Admiralty Number: A5798
NGA Number: 6460
Build: 1172
Construction: stone
Height: 46 m