The Lighthouses of Beachy Head: Belle Tout & Beachy Head

Why Beachy Head needed a lighthouse

The waters off Beachy Head were long among the most dangerous on the English coast, claiming numerous ships in the 17th and early 18th centuries. A petition for a lighthouse was first raised around 1691, but the calls went unheeded for well over a century. It took the influence of John “Mad Jack” Fuller, the colourful MP for Sussex, to finally get something done: he funded a temporary wooden light on the clifftop, and when that proved its worth in steering ships away from the rocks, the case for a permanent lighthouse was made.

Belle Tout: the clifftop lighthouse

Built of hard-wearing Aberdeen granite in the early 1830s and first shining its light on 11 October 1834, Belle Tout was an ingenious piece of design. Its bank of oil lamps could be seen more than 20 miles out to sea, and it was positioned with great care relative to the cliff edge: if a ship drifted too close to shore, the light would be blotted out by the cliff itself — a warning to the crew that they were in danger. Clever as it was, the clifftop position had two fatal flaws. Sea mists frequently shrouded the light, and the relentless erosion of the chalk cliffs gradually undermined the whole enterprise. The lighthouse authority, Trinity House, decided a replacement was needed, and Belle Tout was decommissioned in 1902.

Did you know? The chalk cliffs at Beachy Head erode at an average of around 60 centimetres a year — the very reason both lighthouses have had such eventful histories, and a powerful reminder to keep well back from the edge.

The new Beachy Head Lighthouse

To replace Belle Tout, Trinity House built a brand-new lighthouse in 1902 — this time not on the clifftop, but down on the wave-cut rocks at the very base of the cliffs, where mist was less of a problem. This is the famous red-and-white striped tower that stands in the sea beneath Beachy Head — Britain’s highest chalk sea cliff — and it remains one of the most photographed and instantly recognisable landmarks on the south coast. Now automated and monitored remotely, it still serves as a working aid to navigation for vessels passing along the Channel.

A second life — and the great move of 1999

Decommissioned but far from finished, Belle Tout went on to lead many lives. It served as a tea room, was bought and improved by a London surgeon, and stood empty during the Second World War — when it was badly damaged not by enemy action but by Canadian artillery, whose gunners were actually firing at wooden tank silhouettes that ran on rails up the hill nearby. Restored from the 1950s, it later became a much-loved filming location, appearing in the BBC’s adaptation of “The Life and Loves of a She-Devil” and the James Bond film “The Living Daylights”. But by the late 1990s, erosion had brought the cliff edge to within a few metres of the building. In a feat that made national headlines, engineers Abbey Pynford moved the entire 850-tonne lighthouse 17 metres (56 feet) back from the brink on 17 March 1999, sliding it along greased concrete beams using hydraulic jacks — and cleverly designing the new base so it can be moved again if the sea demands it.

Seeing the lighthouses today

Today Belle Tout has found perhaps its happiest role yet, as a boutique bed and breakfast where guests can sleep in a lighthouse and take in 360-degree views from the old lamp room. It’s a private home and business rather than a general tourist attraction, but its unmistakable white tower is a highlight of any walk along the clifftops, and the red-and-white Beachy Head Lighthouse can be admired from the cliff edge above or from Birling Gap nearby. Both make a wonderful focus for a walk on the South Downs Way — just take great care near the crumbling cliff edges.

Good to know: the cliffs here are actively eroding and there is no barrier at the edge — always stay well back, keep dogs on leads and children close, and follow local safety signs. Belle Tout is private accommodation, so please respect guests’ privacy when passing.

Beachy Head lighthouses: FAQs