Holyhead Mail Pier or Admiralty Pier Lighthouse on
Salt Island, Anglesey, is an inactive
lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Ligh ...
which was designed by the civil engineer
John Rennie in 1821. It was built in the early 19th century to help guide shipping into the newly constructed harbour, now known as the
Port of Holyhead
file:Just inside the 'new' harbour at Holyhead port - geograph.org.uk - 579776.jpg, 300px, Just inside the 'New' harbour at Holyhead port., alt=Port of Holyhead From geograph.org.uk 8 October 2007
The Port of Holyhead () is a commercial and fe ...
, which acted as the terminus for the
packet service between England and Ireland. It is the last of a series of three lighthouses located on Salt Island.
History
The lighthouse was built as part of extensive improvements to
Holyhead Harbour authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1810.
[ The harbour was the mail packet station for ]packet boats
Packet boats were medium-sized boats designed mainly for domestic mail and freight transport in European countries and in North American rivers and canals. Eventually including basic passenger accommodation, they were used extensively during t ...
crossing to Ireland, providing a postal service between Dublin and London, via Telford’s new turnpike road which was completed in 1826.Howth Harbour Lighthouse
The Harbour lighthouse in Howth is a historic aid to navigation situated on the East pier of the harbour. It was built in the early 19th century to help guide shipping into the newly constructed harbour, which acted as the terminus for the Packet ...
is a matching tower in Howth
Howth ( ; ; ) is a peninsular village and outer suburb of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The district as a whole occupies the greater part of the peninsula of Howth Head, which forms the northern boundary of Dublin Bay, and includes the ...
, Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, also designed by Rennie, for the other terminal of the Irish packet steamer.[
The lighthouse is of national significance as one of John Rennie's surviving works. He was one of the most eminent engineers of the world's first ]Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...
. Of particular importance, in a Welsh context, is the early date of the lighthouse lantern, which was originally lit by gas. Before the conversion to electricity a gas works was located on the island to power the lighthouse, the piers and even part of Holyhead itself.Bardsey Lighthouse
Bardsey Lighthouse stands on the southerly tip of Bardsey Island, off the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales, and guides vessels passing through St George's Channel and the Irish Sea.
History
Application for a light here was first made in 1816 ...
. It is no longer in use, although it is used as a navigation reference for sailors.
Lighthouse Explorer. Retrieved 1 June 2016
Listed buildings
The tower is a Grade II listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
, and was "Listed as an integral part of the important harbour scheme designed by Rennie, and as a good and well-preserved example of an early C19 harbour light."Admiralty Arch
The Admiralty Arch is a historic landmark building in London, providing road and pedestrian access between The Mall, London, The Mall, which extends to the southwest, and Trafalgar Square to the northeast. Commissioned by King Edward VII in mem ...
built to commemorate the visit of King George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, ...
to Holyhead in 1821. The King was due to sail from Holyhead to Howth in Ireland on the royal yacht, but due to bad weather he travelled on the steam packet ''Lightning'' instead.
See also
* List of lighthouses in Wales
This is a list of lighthouses in Wales. The list runs anticlockwise from north-east to south-east Wales.
__TOC__
Active lighthouses
Inactive lighthouses
See also
*List of lighthouses and lightvessels
*List of lighthouses in England
*List o ...
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Lighthouses in Anglesey
Holyhead
Lighthouses completed in 1821
1821 establishments in the United Kingdom
Grade II listed lighthouses
Grade II listed buildings in Anglesey