The Needles Lighthouse is an operational 19th-century lighthouse positioned on the outermost of the chalk formations at The Needles, located near sea level on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom.
Designed by James Walker for Trinity House at an expenditure of £20,000, this lighthouse was constructed from granite blocks and completed in 1859. It stands at a height of 33.25 meters (109.1 feet) and features a circular tower with straight sides.
The Needles Lighthouse replaced a prior light tower situated atop a cliff overlooking Scratchell’s Bay, which was initially illuminated on the 29th of September, 1786.
In 1781, a consortium of merchants and ship owners petitioned Trinity House to establish navigational lights in the western approaches to the Solent. While the response was favorable, actual construction did not commence until 1785.
This project included the erection of three new lighthouses: one atop the cliff at The Needles, another at Hurst Point, and a third on St Catherine’s Down, which, regrettably, was never completed or lit. Richard Jupp was the architect behind all three lighthouses.