Shornmead Lighthouse

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Shornmead Lighthouse was established in 1913 by Trinity House on the edges of the Kent shoreline of Shorne Marshes and Higham Saltings where Gravesend Reach meets Lower Hope Reach.

The original structure was 48 feet high and consists of a red painted iron work cylindrical galleried tower supported by four metal legs which in turn stands on a plinth resting upon piles driven firmly into the river bed. The whole lighthouse area was surrounded by a stout metal fence and is reached by an enclosed metal walkway also supported on piles.

In 2003, the lighthouse was replaced with an inaccessible light.

The remains of the old lighthouse, which was cut off at the base, now stands at the PLA's Denton Wharf waiting for its future to be determined.

The lighthouse has never had a permanent keeper and has relied upon weekly inspections and cleaning sessions, first by a keeper on bicycle, and then by one using a car who could only approach the light by using the old military road through the adjacent rifle range on his way to Shornemead Fort.