| Location | Holyhead, Anglesey, Gwynedd, Wales |
|---|---|
| Year first constructed | 1873 |
| Year first lit | 1873 |
| Automated | 1961 |
| Construction | limestone |
| Tower shape | square |
| Markings / pattern | white with single horizontal black band |
| Height | 63ft |
| Range | 14 miles |
Holyhead Breakwater is situated at the north-western end of Holyhead in the county of Anglesey in North Wales, and is the longest breakwater in the United Kingdom.[1] It is 1.7 miles (2.7 km) long and took 28 years to build.[1] Work began in 1845 and it was officially opened on 19 August 1873 by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales.[1] On average, 1,300 men were employed to build it and seven million tons of limestone from Moelfre, Anglesey were used in its construction.[1] The breakwater, which is accessible in good weather, has a promenade on top which leads from Soldier’s Point and ends at a lighthouse.[1]
The lighthouse was probably designed by John Hawkshaw, the superintendent engineer who was responsible for overseeing the Holyhead harbour works from 1857 to 1873.[2] The lighthouse was completed in 1873 as work on the breakwater was coming to an end.[1] The lighthouse tower has a roll-moulded string-course projecting above the first floor level[2] and a moulded cornice supports a walkway around a circular lantern which is surmounted by a weathervane and finial.[2] The lantern has inclined glazing bars [2] and the light has a range of fourteen miles.[1]
The three storey black and white tower is unusual because it is square.[2] It measures 22.25 feet (6.78 m) on each side, is 63 feet (19 m) high and rests 70 feet (21 m) above the high water mark.[1] It has chamfered angles and a stepped plinth set on an oval platform on the breakwater.[2] A square design was chosen because it made the living quarters more comfortable.[1] Inside, much of the original living accommodation remains intact.[1] The lighthouse was manned until November 1961 and was automated in the same year. One of the last keepers was David John Williams, who later became a Trinity House speaker giving talks on the service.[1]
The lighthouse is the responsibility of Holyhead port authority, which is now Stena Line.[1] Like most other lights in Gwynedd, it is now operated from the Holyhead Control Centre of Trinity House.[2] According to Douglas B. Hague, this lighthouse is important architecturally because it forms part of the ambitious engineering works of a 'harbour of refuge'.[2]
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