Smalls

Smalls lighthouse (Wikimedia/SimonZerafa, CC BY-SA 4.0)
(Wikimedia/SimonZerafa, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Smalls

LocationSM 46617 08861 / 51.7211, -5.6700 / angled.soundboard.boulevards
Established / Rebuilt / Automated / Closed1776 / 1861 / 1987 / —
Architect or Builder1st tower Henry Whiteside / 2nd designed James Walker, built James Douglass
Height of tower (m) / above sea level (m) / Range (NM)42 / 36 / 18
CharacterFl(3) 15s
Optic1st order catadioptric
OwnerTrinity House

By far Wales’s most remote lighthouse, it lies 29 km off the Pembrokeshire coast on a rocky reef that stands at most 3.6 m above the water. The current granite tower replaced a timber-piled structure described in the Early Lights chapter. In 1978 a helipad was perched on top of the tower to allow for easier access than by boats, which were often delayed by storms for days or weeks. It was also electrified at the time with a diesel generator, but now has both solar panels and small wind turbines to power the lamp.