The Herring Tower is situated on the Langness Peninsula in the south of the Isle of Man. It was built by Thomas Brine in 1811. The tower was built as a daymark and was based on the style of the tower of Peel Castle. [1] Since 1991 Herring Tower has been protected as a registered building. [2]
In 1811, architect Thomas Brine was commissioned by the British Government to construct two daymarks on the Isle of Man to assist cargo ships in navigating safely around the island's coast. [1] [3] Twelve years later in April 1823, Brine placed an advertisement in the Manx Advertiser for masons and other workers to work on a stone beacon in Derbyhaven, which may have been Herring Tower. [1] [4] Another identical daymark was also built in Douglas Head, which now forms part of the Douglas Head Hotel. [1] [3]
During the herring fishing season, a fire would be displayed in the tower to guide ships into Derbyhaven. [3] But the tower failed to prevent many shipwrecks, with forty being recorded after the tower was constructed. However, calls for a lit lighthouse to be built nearby were rejected until 1877. Langness Lighthouse was built three years later in 1880. [5]
A meeting of the Isle of Man Planning Committee of the Department of Local Government and the Environment on 21 June 1991 decided to protect Herring Tower as a registered building. [6] The tower was publicly declared a registered building on 1 August 1991. [2]
Herring Tower's design was heavily inspired by the round tower of Peel Castle. [1]