Round Island Lighthouse, Grade II listed lighthouse on Round Island in Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom.
Round Island Lighthouse is a cylindrical stone tower built from white-painted granite, rising about 19 m (62 ft) on a small rocky island north of the Isles of Scilly. A gallery and lantern room sit at the top of the tower, from which a white flashing light is projected out to sea.
The lighthouse was designed by William Tregarthen Douglass for Trinity House and first lit in 1887, becoming the third navigational light in the Isles of Scilly. It was built in response to the high number of shipwrecks in these waters, which had long been known as a danger to vessels crossing the Atlantic.
The lighthouse on Round Island is clearly visible from the shores of the Isles of Scilly and has long been part of how people read the sea around them. For local fishermen and sailors, it serves as a familiar reference point on the horizon.
Round Island itself is not open to visitors, but the tower is clearly visible from the northern shores of several of the Scilly islands on a clear day. Boat trips from St. Mary's pass close enough to give a good view of the structure from the water.
In 1927, Round Island became the site of Britain's first wireless navigation beacon, which sent out radio signals to help ships determine their position at sea. This placed a small, remote island at the forefront of what would later become standard technology across the world's shipping lanes.
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