The most prominent lighthouse in the Bristol Channel was designed by the famous engineer, James Douglass, at the end of the c19th. The narrow ledge on which it lies dictated that the keepers' accommodation be situated behind the lighthouse, rather than the more usual arrangement alongside the light, but otherwise it is a typical design for an on-shore lighthouse of that time. The pounding of the seas soon began to undermine the lighthouse and the buttressing on the keepers accommodation bears witness to the problem. In 1930, a sea wall was built at the foot of the mudstone cliff and a collapse, such as occurred at the nearby Bull Point Lighthouse was avoided. The light was automated in 1984 and the keepers' accommodation was then demolished to make room for a helipad. Apart from minor detailed changes made to the outbuildings and water and fuel tanks, the lighthouse is accurate for the period 1930-84.