Lantern Hill, Ilfracombe, Devon, EX34 9EQ
St Nicholas Chapel on Lantern Hill is one of those discoveries that stops you in your tracks when you learn what it is. The small chapel on the hill above Ilfracombe harbour, visible from most of the town, was built in 1321 and has been in continuous use as a working lighthouse ever since, making it the world’s oldest functioning lighthouse by a considerable margin.
Originally built by Augustinian monks as a waymark and place of prayer for sailors entering and leaving the harbour, the chapel’s position on the hill above the town gave it an ideal sighting line. A light was maintained in its window to guide vessels, and this function has never stopped: today, Trinity House maintains the lamp inside, as they have for centuries.
The exterior is accessible by a steep path from the harbour area, and the view from Lantern Hill across the harbour, along the Bristol Channel coastline, and on a clear day to the Welsh coast is outstanding. The chapel itself is occasionally open for you inside; check locally for access times. Even viewed from outside, the building has a quiet dignity and an extraordinary sense of historical continuity.
Lantern Hill and the chapel combine naturally with a harbour walk, a visit to Verity on the pier, and the Aquarium on the quay. Free to view and a five-minute walk from the town centre. One of the more quietly remarkable places in North Devon.
The chapel is maintained by a local trust and is occasionally opened for you inside, where the simple medieval interior and the active lighthouse mechanism can be seen. Check locally for open days during your stay. The view from Lantern Hill at sunset, with the harbour lights coming on below and the Bristol Channel darkening to the north, is one of those views that genuine North Devon regulars tend to regard as theirs in particular. Free to visit at all times, and never anything other than genuinely worth the five-minute walk from the town centre.
