Souter Lighthouse history
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Description
Souter Lighthouse, with its dramatic red and white hoops, is an iconic landmark on the North East coast. You can experience what life was like for the Lighthouse Keeper, with a reconstructed Victorian Keepers cottage and many hands on activities. And for the kids there's also an open-air play area and fun activity trail, along with some fantastic regular events such as craft activities and rock-pool rambles. Visitors can still see the machinery, which remains in working order, and of course climb to the top of the tower. It's well worth the effort, and once you've regained your breath you can literally see for miles! The beautiful South Tyneside coastline below may seem very calm now, but it was in fact once very dangerous. Many ships ran aground amongst the treacherous reefs & rocks and smugglers plied their dastardly trade on our shores. When the lighthouse opened in 1871, with its state of the art technology it was very much needed! Decommissioned in 1988 this property is now managed and protected by the National Trust. Whilst visiting, make sure to save some time to view the impressive Mortal 8 sculpture which is now on show inline with the Lighthouse opening times, except over the Winter season from December until February half term, when it will only be viewable inline with the weekend opening times. The life-size steel sculpture was created for BBC's Great North Passion event that took place in South Shields, Bents Park over Easter 2014 and is an impressive sight to see! Surrounding the Lighthouse are miles of grassy fields, spectacular cliffs and rocky bays. Have a cycle or a walk along the beautiful coastal walks and take in some spectacular scenery. Marsden Bay and Whitburn Village are only 5 minutes a way and definitely worth a visit. Souter is a haven for wildlife and a must for all visitors. Did you know? Souter is a special place all year round and was the first lighthouse in the world designed and built to be powered by electricity. Highlights •Climb the 76 steps to the top for spectacular views .Clamber on the 'Neptune' boat in the open air play area •See the engine room with all its machinery. -
Owner
Visit South Tyneside -
Source
Local (Co-Curate) -
License
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Further information
Link: http://www.visitsouthtyneside.co.uk/article/12639/souter-lighthouse
Resource type: Text/Website
Added by: Leo Allan
Last modified: 9 years, 11 months ago
Viewed: 796 times
Picture Taken: Unknown -
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