We saw Hurst Point for the first time from the ferry, when we crossed over to the Isle of Wight in September 2000, which was not close enough for a really good picture. But we had a chance for a closer look in July 2002. 

And we visited again in April 2009 for the opening of the Association of Lighthouse Keepers Exhibition Room in Hurst Castle.

The 1910 tower and a picture of a picture showing how it looked like.

(this picture is part of the Trinity House Exhibit at Hurst Castle)

It is claimed there was a light station here as early as 1733, but Trinity House records don’t show a patent being obtained until January 1782. A tower, west of the old Hurst Castle was first lit in September 1786, but this light was found to be obscured from some directions, and an additional light was built in 1812. In the period 1865 – 1873 extensive reorganisation of the castle made it necessary to re-position the lights.
A new light, the Low Light was built in 1866. A new Low Light in 1911 - the square metal construction attached to the wall of the tower, which is still visible today - in turn replaced this low light.

The picture on the left shows the square tower and on the right you can see the distinctive red day mark the tower carried.

A major modernisation of Hurst Point High Lighthouse was completed in July 1997. Prompted by the growth in volume and diversity of traffic using the Needles Channel and following extensive consultation with the marine community, high intensity projectors were installed on Hurst High Lighthouse.

These are exhibited day and night to mark the channel between the Needles and the Shingles Bank. The projectors, sited in the service room below the lantern of the High Lighthouse, provide an accurate system of red, green and white directional lights giving precise cut offs over narrow arcs of visibility, which can be realigned in the event of movement of the Shingles Bank.

The main light at Hurst High still uses the unusual first order lens which is separated into sectors of different focal lengths with a red sector provided by shades inside the lantern. The acetylene light source has been replaced by standard Trinity House electrically powered equipment.

The Low Lighthouse, which was built on the wall of Hurst Castle, was decommissioned and painted grey (it was originally red) to match the surrounding background colours in order to eliminate navigational confusion.

The old light on the wall of the castle

It is a long way up to the tower

But the climb is SO worth it!

The first order lens is split in parts of different focal length.

And the part on the right has a red sector.