This month I was fortunate enough to have a behind-the-scenes tour of the site at Trinity Buoy Wharf. The incredible site is home to Trinity Buoy Wharf lighthouse, the only lighthouse in London.
It’s a lighthouse unlike many others, a lighthouse built for experimentation and to train lighthouse keepers. Including the lovely Julian, who was interviewed a few months ago for our Lighthouse Explorers podcast!
My visit occurred after finding a few videos created by their social media team online. This prompted me to see if I could snag myself a behind-the-scenes look at the site. I’d put together a five-step plan in which I infiltrated their team, kept some hostages, and used blackmail to get up the tower. Fortunately for everyone involved, they were more than happy to show me around. It made it much easier, and meant that I avoided a lighthouse-related criminal charge.
Trinity Buoy Wharf Lighthouse
The lighthouse itself is fantastic. I don’t want to be accused of bias, so I’ll admit that it’s not everyone’s opinion. I was shown around the site by Elsie, Trinity Buoy Wharf’s social media manager, whose partner said that it was ‘ugly’. She was unsure why I’d make a trip out of it. However, for a lighthouse enthusiast, the experimental lighthouse offers a lot to be enjoyed.
The lighthouse was built in 1864 to develop the lighting equipment for lighthouses, lightships, and buoys stationed nationwide. As aforementioned, it was also used to train lighthouse keepers. There used to be a lighthouse on the other side of the building, but this was demolished in the late 1920s and there’s no trace of it today.
In the 1840’s, Trinity House’s Scientific Advisor was Michael Faraday. He used the experimental lighthouse in London to develop maritime lenses and a chimney which reduced condensation from oil lamps.
Today, as a regular punter, you can go up the tower on most weekends. At the bottom of the tower is a collection of memorabilia, and you can immediately hear the tones of the Longplayer up above. Once you trail up the first flight of stairs, you’ll come across the instrument itself. The song you hear is programmed to last for 1000 years, starting on the 31st of December 1999. You can wander around the bowls, which were used to conceive this music at the hands of Jem Finer (one of the founding members of the Pogues).
After poking around the dishes, you can ascend the final flight of stairs to reach the top of the lighthouse. Here, there are fantastic views of the O2 across the Thames, as well as the rest of the Trinity Buoy Wharf compound. This includes the SS Robin and Lightship 95, both of which are permanently stationed at the Wharf.
I was fortunate enough to be given permission to walk on the platform outside the lantern room, which meant that I could spy on the Wharf’s container city from above. This is a safe haven for artists and musicians, with spaces for workshops and living quarters alike.
There are open days here throughout the summer, giving the average Joe an insight into what life in the Wharf is like. For more information, you can check out the Trinity Buoy Wharf website, or keep updated via their social media.
The SS Robin
I was fortunate enough to get to explore the SS Robin, which is currently being renovated at Trinity Buoy Wharf. It’s been docked there since 2023 and is being readied for visitors. It’s a bit of a dilapidated carcass at the moment, but it’s still very cool to explore.
The SS Robin is the only complete Victorian steam ship in existence. No longer capable of sailing the seven seas, she now sits on her pontoon at the Wharf. The SS Robin Trust is responsible for her renovation, and are working hard to reinstate cabins back to their former glory. They’re also aiming to get the engine back in working order for display.
The aim is to redecorate and zazz it up, and then it should be opened to the public. In the meantime, it’s accessible on the odd open day!
Lightship 95
Lightship 95 was a real treat. This quite extraordinary ship has been hollowed out, and it’s now primarily a recording studio! I wonder if any of the light keepers stationed on the boat ever assumed that the dulcet melodies of Ed Sheeran would one day fill the boat (for better or worse).
The secondary occupation for this retired hero is as living accommodation, with one apartment in the stern and the other at the bow. Both apartments have decorated their outside areas with sunflowers, which get my seal of approval.
Overall, the team at Trinity Buoy Wharf are welcoming, and I would thoroughly recommend a visit to the site. Check the opening times before you go though, to ensure you can clamber up that sweet, sweet lighthouse. Thank you to the Trinity Buoy Wharf team, and Elsie in particular, for my lovely visit!
Here’s a vlog of my visit, in case you’d like to see it with your own two eyes:
Lighthouse Explorers 