Souter Lighthouse and The Leas
Souter Lighthouse stands bold and red-and-white striped on the headland at Lizard Point — actually at Marsden on the South Tyneside coast — and was the first lighthouse in the world to be powered by an alternating electric current when it opened in 1871. The clifftop setting overlooking the North Sea is dramatic, and the restored engine rooms, fog signal house and keeper's cottage give a vivid sense of the lighthouse keeper's isolated life. The adjacent Leas clifftop walk adds a further rewarding dimension.
- World's first AC-powered lighthouse
- Restored Victorian engine rooms
- Dramatic North Sea clifftop setting
Best for engineering history fans, families and those who love a clifftop walk.
Things to see at Souter Lighthouse and The Leas
Tick these off when you visit — open the place in Manorhop to save your progress.
- Red-and-White Lighthouse Tower
- Original Engine Room Machinery
- The 1914 Revolving Optical Lens
- Foghorn Building with Exponential Horns
- Clifftop Coastal Views (The Leas)