Whitley Bay's St Mary's lighthouse to close over summer for renovation works

An iconic landmark in our region will undergo a near £900,000 transformation over the summer.

North Tyneside council has announced that St Mary’s lighthouse in Whitley Bay is in need of repair and redecoration works.

This will mean the Grade II listed landmark will be closed to visitors from 24 June until mid-September to avoid disrupting the local ecology and wildlife.

The causeway will reopen for the school summer holidays on 22 July, and close again in early September to allow the works to be finished.

Work includes re-painting the lighthouse, the keeper’s cottages and visitor centre, as well as general repairs, and fixing stonework.

Windows and drainage will also be repaired and replaced.

The lighthouse was built and completed in 1898 - with it being first lit up on 31 August that year.

It was later decommissioned in 1984, and received a Grade II listed status in 2012.

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