Update: 01-03-2025
Maughold Head is located in the northeast of the island, approximately 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) from Ramsey, at the southern end of Ramsey Bay. Maughold Head is the easternmost point of the Isle of Man and the closest point the Isle of Man has to England, being 50 kilometers (31 miles) from St. Bees Head in Cumbria.
Although many Manx names come from the Norse language, no suitable derivation can be found for this name. It is propobably Gaelic although not spelt phonetically like Manx Gaelic and could be from Maug, a plain or meadow, and Allt a burn, the meadow of the burn.
Following a meeting on 3 February 1909 regarding new works, the Board of Trade requested the suggestion of Mr Gardner (engineer) to install a light and foghorn at Maughold Head. This suggestion was put forward in response to a complaint from Lord Inverclyde that the Whitestone Bank Light had often been extinguished and that on several occasions ships had been damaged.
As there was no lighthouse between Point of Ayre and Douglas Head it was advised that a light and fog signal would be a great advance for navigation, but as the Commissioners of the Northern Lighthouse Board had proposed other new works it was decided that Maughold Head was not really urgent. It was agreed that work on Maughold Head lighthouse would be included in the 1910-1911 budget.On August 26, 1909, legal approval was sought from Trinity House. Trinity House refused to give their approval because a fog siren and light had already been installed at the Bahama Bank (Bahama Bank Lightvessel), 4 miles from Maughold Head, which had been operated by Trinity House since 1st January 1848. The matter was kept under discussion. Approval from Trinity House was again requested and this was ultimately granted through the intercession of the Board of Trade. David Alan and Charles Stevenson were appointed engineers on behalf of the Northern Lighthouses Board and designed the lighthouse. Mr James MacBeth was appointed Inspector of building works and Messrs D & J MacDougall of Oban were the contractors.
| Lighthouse keepers of Maughold Head | ||||
| Names with brackets (Year) indicates keeper was there - no other information available | ||||
| Year | From Station | Keeper Name | To Station | Year |
| Tiumpan Head | B. Bagg | HQ House Officer | 1970 | |
| 1974 | Douglas Head | L. Anderson | Retired | 1982 |
| D. MacDonald | St Abbs Head | 1974 | ||
| 1974 | Langness | R. Shand | ||
| 1975 | Muckle Flugga | T. Georgeson | Resigned | 1978 |
| G.C. Birse | Isle of May | 1975 | ||
| W.B. Crockett | Noss Head | 1977 | ||
| 1977 | Douglas Head | G.F. Adamson | Rubha Reidh | 1983 |
| 1979 | SLK | N. Douglas | Sanda Island | 1983 |
| 1979 | SLA | A.M. Marshall | Killantringan | 1985 |
| W.S. Smith | Covesea Skerries | 1979 | ||
| 1979 | Langness | N.S.Cargill | Strathy Point | 1984 |
| 1982 | Davaar | R.Gatt | Point of Ayre | 1987 |
| 1983 | Butt of Lewis | R. Grassom | Langness | 1986 |
| 1983 | Maugold Head | G. Dugdale | Sumburgh Head | 1986 |
| 1984 | Hyskier | A. MacKay | Retired | 1986 |
| 1985 | Maugold Head | W.J. Norris | Ailsa Craig | 1986 |
| 1986 | Sanda Island | M.R. Williams | Langness | 1991 |
| 1986 | Kinnaird Head | J. Drumond | Butt of Lewis | 1990 |
| 1986 | Cape Wrath | A. Dorricot | Muckle Flugga | 1991 |
| 1987 | Point of Ayre | A. Hutchison | Fair Isle | 1989 |
| 1989 | Mauglod Head | N.S. Cargill | Redundant | 1994 |
| 1990 | Butt of Lewis | D. MacIver | R/ALK | 1993 |
| 1991 | Sumburgh Head | M.A. Young | R/ALK | 1994 |
| J. Burns | Retired | 1992 | ||
| 1992 | Hyskier | D. Leslie | Rhinns of Islay | 1993 |
| 1992 | Maugold Head | R.J. Daggert | Redundant | 1995 |
| 1993 | St Abbs Head | N. Muir | Retired | 1995 |
| 1993 | Point of Ayre | G. Adamson | Redundant | 1995 |
| 1994 | Strathy Point | M.N. Forge | 1995 | |
| 1994 | Fair Isle South | D. Wise | Hyskier | 1995 |
| Local ALK | ||||
| 1974 | A.G. Adamson | |||
| 1978 | A.B. Caine | Redundant | 1987 | |
| Attendant | ||||
| 1993 | D. Fox | Redundant | 2004 | |
| Retained lighthouse Keeper | ||||
| 2004 | D. Fox | |||
The lantern room is made of metal and has glazing framed in a lattice pattern. While the lantern room has 360 degree glazing, the landward, west-facing part of the glazing is painted black to provide light protection to the former keeper's cottage.
The spiral staircase in the lighthouse has 87 steps. This spiral staircase gives access to the lantern room. The lighthouse has no space for habitation. Living accommodation for the lighthouse keeper(s) was provided in a separate building further up the headland (connected to the lighthouse by an external staircase of 128 steps).
After the light was established at Maughold Head on 15th April 1914 the Bahama Bank Lightvessel was subsequently withdrawn.The original 1st Order refractor Fresnel lens developed by the Stevenson brothers had three flashes every 30 seconds (fl 0.5s, ec 2.0s; fl 0.5s, ec 2.0s; fl 0.5s, ec 24.5s). Lantern (dome) and parapet were made by AC Westwood Machine.
The machine with revolving carrige sytem, on which the Fresnel lens is mounted, was developed by Dove & Co of Edinburgh. Diamond incandescent 55mm paraffin vapour burner for the illuminant was made by Chance Bros from Birmingham.
In 1983, the paraffin vapor burner was replaced by an electric 250 watt mercury vapor burner. The original clockwork drive was retained. In 1983,
The paraffin vapor burner was replaced by an electric 250 watt mercury vapor burner. The original clockwork drive was retained.
In 1993 the entire installation was automated with remote monitoring of the system carried out by the Northern Lighthouse Board in Edinburgh. At that moment the clockwork drive was changed to an electric motor.
The original 1e Order Fresnel Lens is covered
The first order Fresnel lens and associated equipment, as supplied when built in 1914, are still extant.
A fog signal was first heard on April 16, 1914. The necessary equipment was originally made by the company Dove & Co, who also made the rotating mechanism for the lens.
In the 1930s/40s this installation was replaced by Kelvin two cylinder diesel engines with Alley & Maclelan "Sentinel" compressors. The fog signal was shut down in 1987.
