Somerset Council has announced that the iconic Watchet Lighthouse will be repainted after being the wrong colour for over 160 years.
The red-painted structure breaches international maritime safety regulations, which require sea-facing navigational aids on the starboard side to display green colouring.
According to the council, the incorrect paintwork “has the potential to cause confusion for vessels during daylight hours or restricted visibility”.
Near-miss incidents involving vessels have been reported as a result of the colour discrepancy.
The 22-foot cast-iron lighthouse, which has a hexagonal shape, sits at the entrance to Watchet’s harbour and marina.
A 2025 inspection by Trinity House, the UK’s designated lighthouse authority, identified that the structure failed to meet standards set by the International Organisation for Marine Aids to Navigation.
Harbourmaster Captain Jessica Tyson informed the town’s harbour advisory committee that the lighthouse, as a designated navigational aid, should be green.
The solution agreed upon involves painting the seaward-facing panels green whilst keeping the landward panels in their existing red colour.
Somerset Council said the incorrect paintwork ‘has the potential to cause confusion for vessels’
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WIKIMEDIA COMMONSSomerset Council said this would be “a proportionate solution that balances navigational safety with local sensitivities”.
Watchet Mayor Loretta Whetlor, who chairs the harbour advisory committee, backed the proposed changes.
She said the front panels of the lighthouse would be painted green and the back could be left red, which she thought would look “quite nice”.
The mayor added that the alterations were necessary to bring the town into compliance with international regulations.
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The 22-foot cast iron lighthouse sits at the entrance to Watchet’s harbour and marina
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Members of the advisory committee supported the repainting plan.
Somerset Council said it holds a legal obligation to ensure vessels can safely navigate when entering and leaving the harbour.
However, no formal instruction to commence the work has been issued yet.
The lighthouse was constructed in 1862 on the harbour’s west pier, featuring a green cupola roof crowned with a decorative weather vane.
The lighthouse was constructed in 1862 and cost £75 to construct
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It cost just £75 to build and was manufactured by Hennet, Spinks and Else of Bridgwater.
The design came from James Abernethy, whose proposal was selected ahead of one submitted by the renowned railway engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
Storm damage to the harbour walls in 1900 led to the lighthouse being removed, and it was repositioned on the new breakwater five years later.
The lighting system, manufactured by Chance Brothers of Smethwick, emits a green light visible from nine miles out to sea.
The Princess Royal unveiled a commemorative plaque at the lighthouse in 2012 to mark its 150th anniversary.