Explore the chilling legends of Eddystone Lighthouse, where centuries of storms, shipwrecks, and tragedy have given rise to tales of ghostly builders and lost keepers
Thirteen miles south of Plymouth, on a jagged reef in the open sea, stands one of the most famous lighthouses in the world.
Eddystone Lighthouse has existed in various forms since the late 17th century, guiding ships past deadly rocks.
Four different towers have stood on the reef, each with its own tragedies – and from those tragedies come tales of haunting.
Sailors and lighthouse keepers alike have spoken of strange shadows, bad omens, and ghostly presences around Eddystone.
Some say the spirits of its lost builders and keepers still linger in the spray.
History of the Eddystone Lights
The first lighthouse, built by Henry Winstanley in 1698, was an ornate wooden structure unlike anything else in Britain.
But in 1703, the “Great Storm” – one of the fiercest in English history – destroyed it completely.
Winstanley himself was inside at the time and perished with his creation.
Later versions fared little better.
One burned down in 1755 after a fire in the lantern.
Another keeper, said to have been unstable, died in mysterious circumstances on the reef.
The third tower, built of stone by John Smeaton, survived longer but was eventually dismantled.
Its base is still visible today beside the modern structure.
The current lighthouse, built in 1882, is still in use.
But the legends of its predecessors continue to haunt the Eddystone Rocks.
Ghostly Legends at Sea
Stories around Eddystone often centre on the first builder, Henry Winstanley.
Sailors claimed that in fierce storms, a shadow could be seen amid the waves, standing where the old wooden tower once rose – a man gazing defiantly at the sea.
Some took this as Winstanley himself, still guarding his doomed creation.
Others speak of bad luck and omens.
Fishermen said that if strange lights danced above the reef in rough weather, it meant death for a sailor before the year was out.
Keepers complained of eerie feelings in the tower, as though unseen eyes watched them during the long nights.
A story from the 18th century tells of a keeper who grew increasingly disturbed, ranting that voices in the wind were calling him to the sea.
Not long after, he died suddenly in the lantern room.
His ghost was said to linger – a warning of the madness that isolation could bring.
Visiting the Eddystone
Unlike most haunted lighthouses, Eddystone cannot be reached on foot.
Thirteen miles offshore, it can only be viewed from a boat trip or from Plymouth Hoe, where telescopes give a distant glimpse.
For centuries, sailors returning home to Plymouth would look out for its light – and some claimed to see more than just the lamp shining in the darkness.
Standing on the Hoe at dusk, looking out to where the reef breaks the sea, it is easy to see how legends grew around this lonely outpost.
Few places in England combine such isolation, history, and tragedy.
Eddystone Lighthouse is a triumph of engineering against the sea – but also a graveyard of ambition and sacrifice.
From Winstanley’s death in the Great Storm to the whispered tales of keepers driven to despair, the reef has soaked up centuries of human struggle.
Perhaps those who died here never left.
Perhaps their ghosts still drift in the spray, watching as the waves crash against the tower they could not outlast.
Do you believe the Eddystone Rocks are haunted by the spirits of their lost builders and keepers? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
