Souter Lighthouse and The Leas
Visitor information
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© Roger Coulam
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© Charlotte Parish
All aboard!
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© Simon Colvine
How many lenses make up Souter's lamp?
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© Dave Mitchell
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© National Trust
A dusky beauty!
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© Matt Stoker
What's red and flashes?
A marvel of its age
Souter is a special place all year round and was the first lighthouse in the world designed and built to be powered by electricity. Opened in 1871, decommissioned in 1988, the National Trust acquired it and opened it to the public in 1990.
Souter remains an iconic beacon, hooped in red and white and standing proud on the coastline midway between the Tyne and the Wear.
The Leas is a two and a half mile stretch of magnesian limestone cliffs, wave-cut foreshore and coastal grassland. The cliffs and rock stacks of Marsden Bay are home to nesting Kittiwakes, Fulmar, Cormorants, Shags and Guillemots.
Foghorn Requiem
Amassing the Armada!
© Richard Hollinshead
On 22 June the cliff-tops at Souter will witness a large-scale and extraordinary performance - the like of which has never been seen or heard before. Devised by artists Lise Autogena and Joshua Portway, Foghorn Requiem celebrates the passing of the foghorn from the British coastal landscape and into maritime heritage with an ambitious and unique musical performance involving an armada of vessels positioned offshore, the Souter Lighthouse Foghorn and on-shore musicians. Using technology adapted and developed by the artists, sound from the armada ships' horns originating miles away will become part of a new musical score composed by celebrated British composer Orlando Gough. This must-see spectacle, which embraces the idea of a requiem for a strong North East sea-faring culture, will be a final farewell to both a familiar sound and a celebration of the people and way of life it represents. For full details of this exciting event visit the project website.
50 things to before you're 11 ¾
50 things to do
An outdoor adventure is always around the next corner or under the nearest rock at Souter Lighthouse. And our list of 50 things to do before you're 11 ¾ will set you on your own adventure here. Go bug hunting in the coastal park, bird watching on the cliff top or hunt for a geocache. Pick up a self led pack from the entrance desk and start exploring today.