Here is the generated text:

The Needles Lighthouse is situated on the outermost rock of “The Needles”—the chalk stacks that mark the westernmost point of the Isle of Wight, England. Its address is Off Totland Bay, The Needles, Isle of Wight, England, PO39 (viewed from Needles Battery, National Trust). The coordinates are 50°39′44″ N, 1°35′30″ W (lat 50.6622344, lon –1.5917475).

Construction and History

The Needles Lighthouse was erected in 1859 to improve navigational safety in the busy shipping lanes through the English Channel. It replaced earlier shore-based lights dating from 1786–1857, which proved less effective in poor visibility. The lighthouse was designed by James Walker, a Trinity House Engineer.

Architecture and Materials

The tower is constructed using locally quarried Cornish granite blocks set in cement, with a cast-iron lantern housing. The internal floors and stairs are made of timber and iron. The tower form is slender cylindrical with a flat roof around the lantern gallery, white-washed exterior.

Light and Navigation

• Sector 1 (224°–300°): Red, Oc (2) 20 s, range 14 nmi
• Sector 2 (300°–083°): White, Oc (2) 20 s, range 17 nmi
• Sector 3 (083°–212°): Red, Oc (2) 20 s, range 14 nmi
• Sector 4 (212°–217°): White, Oc (2) 20 s, range 17 nmi
• Sector 5 (217��–224°): Green, Oc (2) 20 s, range 14 nmi

Accessibility and Visiting

The tower interior is not open to the public due to operational safety restrictions. The best views are from the clifftop at The Needles Battery (National Trust), via chairlift from Alum Bay or on sightseeing boat tours from Alum Bay and Yarmouth. Visitor facilities nearby include The Old Battery museum, cafe, shop, coastal footpaths, and a chairlift to Alum Bay’s colored sands.

Notable Views and Landscape

The lighthouse stands on a wave-cut platform some 300 m offshore, surrounded at high tide by the swirling currents of the Needles Channel. The dramatic chalk stacks and adjacent cliffs form part of the Isle of Wight Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Anecdotes and Folklore

(No information available)

Technical and Operational Details

The lighthouse was automated in 1994, with former keepers withdrawn. It is monitored remotely by Trinity House from Harwich Control Centre. The lighthouse has been fitted with shore-based AIS for additional vessel position information since around 2010.

Further Information

• * Trinity House official leaflet: “Needles Lighthouse”
• * Historic England, List Entry 1033826: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1033826
• * Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Needles_Lighthouse
• * Admiralty List of Lights and Fog Signals, Vol. 3 (NP 76)
• * OSM Node/Way 194067383 (seamark data)