Blackhead Lighthouse, Maritime navigation tower in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Blackhead Lighthouse is an octagonal stone tower standing about 16 meters tall on a clifftop marking the northern entrance to Belfast Lough. Three keeper houses next to the lighthouse have been restored and now serve as vacation rentals equipped with modern conveniences.
The lighthouse was built in 1902 following persistent calls from the Belfast Harbour Board and local business interests for improved navigation safety. This tower became one of many beacons guiding commercial vessels along the Irish coast during the era of large transatlantic shipping.
The lighthouse represents a working example of coastal life as it existed for lighthouse keepers and their families over generations. Visitors can see how rooms were arranged and used in the keeper houses, gaining insight into daily routines far from town.
The site is accessible by coastal road and connects to walking paths along the cliffs that can be explored on foot without special equipment. Visitors should prepare for changeable weather conditions typical of coastal locations, as the exposed clifftop position offers little natural shelter.
An underground tunnel system once connected the lighthouse to the keeper houses, allowing safe passage during severe storms and harsh weather. Visitors can still see traces of this hidden passage, which reveals how life in this isolated location required practical solutions to extreme coastal conditions.
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