St. Mary's Lighthouse sits on the tiny St Mary's Island, just north of Whitley Bay on the coast of North East England. The small rocky tidal island is linked to the mainland by a short concrete causeway, which is submerged at high tide. The lighthouse and adjacent keepers' cottages were built in 1898 by the John Miller company of Tynemouth. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1984 and a few years later St.Mary's was opened as a visitor attraction by the local council. Since 2012 St Mary's lighthouse has been grade II listed. While it no longer functions as a working lighthouse, it is easily accessible (when the tide is out) and regularly open to visitors.
