Casquets

The Casquets are a group of rocks eight miles northwest of Aldernay and twenty three miles from Guernsey and are part of an underwater sandstone ridge. In 1722 with the blessing of Trinity House, work began on building a distinctive arrangement of three towers lit by coal fires called St Peter, St Thomas and the Dungeon. The layout was designed to ensure that the lights would not look like those in nearby France.

A severe storm in October 1823 left the towers badly damaged and the opportunity was taken to increase the height of the towers by a further 30 feet. In 1877 the north-west tower was again raised and on this occasion, the other two towers were discontinued.

In 1955 the station was electrified and while all three towers survive, only the North west tower displays a light. The lighthouse complex was automated in 1990 and is monitored and controlled from the Trinity House Operations Control Centre in Harwich.