New Brighton Lighthouse (also known as Perch Rock Lighthouse and called Black Rock Lighthouse in the 19th century) is a decommissioned lighthouse situated at the confluence of the River Mersey and Liverpool Bay on an outcrop off New Brighton known locally as Perch Rock. Together with its neighbour, the Napoleonic era Fort Perch Rock, it is one of the Wirral’s best known landmarks.
A primitive wooden light known as a perch was first exhibited here in 1683, hence its other name Perch Rock. A perch was a wooden tripod supporting a lantern. It marked the Black Rock to the North Channel of Liverpool Bay.
In April 2016, New Brighton Coastal Community Team New Brighton Coastal Community Team re-illuminated the Grade II* listed lighthouse through a grant for £6,160 from the Coastal Revival Fund. The body of the lighthouse underneath its walkway is now lit at night and lights flash from its dome in the same colours and sequence as it did when it was first built. The Lighthouse is privately owned and is unoccupied. It is a very short walk from Fort Perch Rock and its exterior can be viewed closely when the tide is out.
Passing foreign vessels paid a fee for the maintenance of the lighthouse. However the flimsy structure was often washed away, and in February 1821 a pilot boat crashed into it.
As the Port of Liverpool expanded and the lighthouse needed constant maintenance, a stronger tower was required. As a result, a new stone lighthouse was built. Construction began in 1827, with the foundation stone laid by the Mayor of Liverpool, Thomas Littledale. The tower, designed by Mr Foster, was built of rock quarried from Anglesey.
The lighthouse was completed in 1830 and first exhibited on 1st March of that year. The lighthouse keepers lived in the upper part of the tower, and it was accessed by a ladder to the door located partway up the lighthouse.
The lighthouse originally displayed a fixed light. This changed in 1878 to a flashing light using Argand oil lamps placed behind a three-sided array of mirrors. Three bells mounted under the gallery provided a fog signal. New Brighton Lighthouse was decommissioned in October 1973 and sold into private ownership.
The lighthouse was restored in 2001 when an LED light was installed. A special display illuminated the names of those lost at sea, including the victims of the Titanic. Since 2015 the light displays two white flashes followed by a red flash, but this is only visible from land.
