Wolf Rock, Cornwall
Encyclopedia
Wolf Rock is a treacherous rock located 9 nmi (16.7 km; 10.4 mi) east of St Mary's, Isles of Scilly
and 4 nmi (7.4 km; 4.6 mi) southwest of Land's End
, in Cornwall
, United Kingdom
. A lighthouse
, known as the Wolf Rock Lighthouse, was built on the rock by James Walker
from 1861 to 1869; it entered service in January 1870.
The lighthouse is 41 metres (134.5 ft) in height and is constructed from Cornish granite
that was prepared at Penzance
on the mainland of Cornwall. It took 9 years to build due to the treacherous weather conditions that brew constantly between Cornwall and Scilly. The light can be seen from Land's End by day and night, and is almost exactly halfway between the Lizard and the Scilly isles. It has a range of 23 nmi (42.6 km; 26.5 mi) and was automated in 1988. The lighthouse was the first in the world to be fitted with a helipad
.
The rock is an unparished area of Cornwall
(assigned to the district of Penwith
prior to the district's abolition).
Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The islands have had a unitary authority council since 1890, and are separate from the Cornwall unitary authority, but some services are combined with Cornwall and the islands are still part...
and 4 nmi (7.4 km; 4.6 mi) southwest of Land's End
Land's End
Land's End is a headland and small settlement in west Cornwall, England, within the United Kingdom. It is located on the Penwith peninsula approximately eight miles west-southwest of Penzance....
, in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. A lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
, known as the Wolf Rock Lighthouse, was built on the rock by James Walker
James Walker (engineer)
James Walker, FRS, was an influential Scottish civil engineer of the first half of the 19th century.Walker was born in Falkirk and was apprenticed to his uncle Ralph Walker in approximately 1800, with whom he gained experience working on the design and construction of the West India and East India...
from 1861 to 1869; it entered service in January 1870.
The lighthouse is 41 metres (134.5 ft) in height and is constructed from Cornish granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
that was prepared at Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
on the mainland of Cornwall. It took 9 years to build due to the treacherous weather conditions that brew constantly between Cornwall and Scilly. The light can be seen from Land's End by day and night, and is almost exactly halfway between the Lizard and the Scilly isles. It has a range of 23 nmi (42.6 km; 26.5 mi) and was automated in 1988. The lighthouse was the first in the world to be fitted with a helipad
Helipad
Helipad is a common abbreviation for helicopter landing pad, a landing area for helicopters. While helicopters are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard surface away from obstacles where a helicopter can safely...
.
The rock is an unparished area of Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
(assigned to the district of Penwith
Penwith
Penwith was a local government district in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, whose council was based in Penzance. The district covered all of the Penwith peninsula, the toe-like promontory of land at the western end of Cornwall and which included an area of land to the east that fell outside the...
prior to the district's abolition).