The Breakwater and Lighthouse

THE BREAKWATER AND LIGHTHOUSE, THE SOUND

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

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Overview

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II
List Entry Number:
1386471
Date first listed:
01-May-1975
List Entry Name:
The Breakwater and Lighthouse
Statutory Address:
THE BREAKWATER AND LIGHTHOUSE, THE SOUND
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Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II
List Entry Number:
1386471
Date first listed:
01-May-1975
List Entry Name:
The Breakwater and Lighthouse
Statutory Address 1:
THE BREAKWATER AND LIGHTHOUSE, THE SOUND

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:
THE BREAKWATER AND LIGHTHOUSE, THE SOUND

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:
City of Plymouth (Unitary Authority)
Parish:
Non Civil Parish
National Grid Reference:
SX 46469 50521

Details

PLYMOUTH

SX45SE THE SOUND, Plymouth Sound 740-1/7/423 The Breakwater and Lighthouse 01/05/75

II

Breakwater and lighthouse. Begun 1811 by Sir John Rennie, engineer, with William Knight as the resident architect. Completed in 1841 (Pevsner) with a lighthouse at one end. Built of stone with ramped ends. Long rectangular plan plus ends which are splayed in towards the Sound, over 5,000 feet long. Said to have needed 4 1/2 million tons of stone. A remarkable feat of engineering. (The Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Devon: London: 1989-: 656).



Listing NGR: SX4646950521

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:
473858
Legacy System:
LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, Cherry, B, The Buildings of England: Devon, (1989), 656

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.

Ordnance survey map of The Breakwater and Lighthouse

Map

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 12-Jun-2026 at 19:31:22.

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© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. Use of this mapping is subject to Terms and Conditions.

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

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