Southwold, Suffolk: The Lighthouse, the Pier, History & Things to Do

Southwold is a small seaside town on the Suffolk coast, almost an island, surrounded by the sea, the River Blyth and the marshes. A white lighthouse rises among its streets, colourful beach huts line the promenade, and its brewery scents the air with malt.

Why Southwold Is Special

Southwold has kept a gentle, unhurried charm that has almost vanished from English seaside towns. There are no big amusement arcades on the front, just a pier, beach huts and a wide sandy beach.

Its pretty greens, Georgian houses and independent shops make it a delight to wander, and it sits at the heart of the Suffolk coast, close to some of the finest nature reserves in Britain.

The History of Southwold

In 1659 a great fire devastated most of the town. The spaces it left were never built on again, and became what has been called a series of varied and very delightful village greens, which, with the marshes that stopped the town from spreading, have preserved its tidy appearance.

On Gun Hill, the green above the beach, six 18-pounder cannon commemorate the Battle of Sole Bay, fought offshore in 1672 between the English and French fleets on one side and the Dutch under Michiel de Ruyter on the other.

Southwold Lighthouse, operated by Trinity House, was built from 1887 under Sir James Douglass and began operating on 3 September 1890. It stands right in the middle of the town.

The pier was built in 1900 as a landing stage for steamships bringing holidaymakers from London, Clacton and Great Yarmouth. Since 2001 it has housed the Under the Pier Show, a collection of witty coin-operated machines by the inventor Tim Hunkin. Adnams, the brewery in the town centre, is still Southwold's largest employer.

Things to Do in Southwold

Walk the promenade past the beach huts to the pier and play Tim Hunkin's machines, then wander the greens, see the cannon on Gun Hill and take a tour of the lighthouse when it is open (check dates).

Walk south across the marshes to the harbour on the River Blyth, and cross by the little rowing-boat ferry (in season) or the footbridge to Walberswick for crabbing and its village green.

Gardens, Countryside & Antiques near Southwold

For interiors, browse Stag Interiors and Lift in the town, and House & Garden at Snape Maltings down the coast. Birdwatchers should not miss RSPB Minsmere, a few miles south.

Families enjoy Africa Alive at Kessingland, and the whole shoreline is the Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape; see our guide to the Suffolk Coast.

Southwold Through the Seasons

Spring brings avocets and marsh harriers to the marshes nearby. Summer is beach-hut season. Autumn days are golden and quiet, and in winter the town is at its most peaceful, with bracing walks along the shore.

Getting to Southwold

The nearest railway stations are Halesworth and Darsham, on the line from Ipswich to Lowestoft, with buses to the town. Parking is limited in summer.

Southwold: Questions & Answers

Can you go up Southwold Lighthouse?

Trinity House runs tours of the lighthouse on certain dates; check before you visit.

Why does Southwold have so many greens?

A great fire in 1659 destroyed most of the town, and the spaces it left were never built on again.

Our Advice

Our advice: Walk the promenade early, before the beach fills, then cross the marshes to Walberswick and come back for lunch in the town.