St Mary's Island, Northumberland
| St Mary's Island | |
 St Mary's Island at high tide | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Location: | 55°4’18"N, 1°26’59"W |
| Grid reference: | NZ351754 |
| Data | |
St Mary's Island, sometimes referred to as Bait Island is a small, sandstone island on the coast of Northumberland, near the seaside resort of Whitley Bay. Its dominating building is St Mary's Lighthouse: the lighthouse, its enclosure and associated buildings cover the isle.
The island is a Local Nature Reserve.[1]
St Mary's Island was originally called 'Bates Island', 'Hartley Bates' or 'Bates Hill' as it was originally owned by the Bates family who were prominent locally, and the area of coastal mainland lying between the Brierdene Burn and Seaton Burn formed the township of Hartley. It is sometimes known as Bait Island, probably due to a misunderstanding of the meaning of the name. The island lies opposite Curry's Point on the mainland and is connected to the coast at low tide by a rocky causeway for about 16 hours a day.[2]
The lighthouse here was built in 1898.
In the Middle Ages a chapel stood on the island, dedicated to St Helen.[3] Within the chapel was the Lady Light, also known as St Katherine's Light. The light was later, wrongly, ascribed to St Mary and, as a result, the island became known as St Mary's Island. It is debatable whether the light was used as a warning to shipping or was purely religious.[4] Next to the chapel was a burial ground where monks and local people were interred. Traces of St. Helen's Chapel were destroyed when the lighthouse was built in 1898.
During the 19th century there was an inn, known as the 'Square and Compass', on the island, run by a Mr George Ewen. In 1895, after complaints about rowdy customers trespassing on nearby land, the landlord, Lord Hastings, had Mr Ewen and his family evicted from the island.
The lighthouse continued to function until 1984, when it was taken out of service. The lighthouse is now open to visitors who can climb the steps to the lantern room, if they wish, or see the visitors' centre.
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about St Mary's Island, Northumberland) |
References
- ↑ "Map of St Mary's Island". Natural England. http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=lnrIndex&query=REF_CODE%3D%271009159%27.
- ↑ "St Mary's Island Cottage". News Guardian. Whitley Bay. April 25, 2014. http://www.newsguardian.co.uk/news/local/firing-up-the-savings-at-lighthouse-cottage-1-6579951.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1408299: St Mary's Island Lighthouse, Keepers' Cottages and Compound Walls (Grade @ listing)
- ↑ "The story of St Mary's Island and its lighthouse in words and photographs - Chronicle Live". 26 July 2021. https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/history/gallery/story-st-marys-island-lighthouse-21142942.
