Pakefield Lighthouse

Pakefield Lighthouse is a decommissioned 19th century lighthouse which was built near Pakefield a suburb of Lowestoft in Suffolk. The lighthouse tower has been used for a variety of maritime, civilian and military roles, and is currently used as a Coastwatch lookout post.HistoryCompleted in 1832 to a design by the architect Richard Suter, it was commissioned by Trinity House to enable a safe passage to be made through the channel between two shifting sandbanks into Lowestoft on this part of the North Sea coastline.The high white tower and keeper’s accommodation were built within the estate of Pakefield Hall, on low cliffs overlooking the sea at a cost of £821. The light was powered by two argand lamps, originally consisted of a constant white light that could be seen for nine nautical miles. The colour was changed to red as some ships had confused the light with those shining from the windows of clifftop houses in nearby Kessingland.By the time that land negotiations regarding the lighthouse and access road had been completed in 1850, the need for the light had already passed, as the channel had moved to the south requiring a new light near Kessingland. The lighthouse continued in use, until it was finally decommissioned in 1864.The lighthouse remained abandoned for a number of decades until it was subsequently sold to the owners of the Hall in the 1920s, the grounds of which being used as a campsite, and would eventually become a Pontins holiday camp.