Belle Tout Lighthouse

Home
United Kingdom
Eastbourne
Belle Tout Lighthouse

Call Directions Website Contact the organisation

Call us to book offer. The Belle Tout Lighthouse at Beachy Head is a hotel with a difference.
(1)

Belle Tout Lighthouse B&B - Britain’s most dramatic stay. 01323 423185 ✨ Gift Vouchers available. ✨ Solo traveller single occupany discount
applies. ✨ Offer: 1st Nov - 11th March stay 3 nights for the price of 2 T&Cs apply. Built in 1832 and decommissioned in 1902, a tea-shop, a home, part-destroyed during the second world war and lovingly rebuilt in the 50's. Owned and filmed by the BBC, moved due to erosion - and now, beautifully restored and renovated. With 360 degree views of the English Channel, beautiful landscape, countryside and the enigmatic Seven Sisters, Belle Tout is a remarkable place to stay. With themed rooms such as 'The Captains Cabin', 'Old England' and 'Keepers Loft', the accommodation and facilities will ensure a comfortable and memorable break.

01/11/2026

Belle Tout Lighthouse - Britain’s most dramatic stay
📸 Rupert Kirby

We are a Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Award Winner 2026 🏆

01/11/2026

No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds! –
November!

Thomas Hood, ‘November’.

📸 https://suxxesphoto.com/belle-tout-lighthouse-sunset-beachy-head/

31/10/2026

In 1980 author Lionel Davidson (pictured) - an English novelist who wrote spy thrillers - leased the Lighthouse, and in 1986 The BBC purchased it for a rumoured £250,000 to use as a backdrop for a TV film The Life and Loves of a She-Devil, by author Fay Weldon.

The BBC added a temporary stage set on the seaward side and a fake lantern, and constructed tiered gardens, sun terraces and a patio. When all the filming was complete Belle Tout was up for sale again.

30/10/2026

🌟Room Spotlight: Keeper's Loft 🌟

Here are some key features of our Keeper's Loft room:

🌊 Mezzanine double bed
🌊 En Suite Shower room
🌊 Beautiful view of Beachy Head and South Downs
🌊 Breakfast included

Experience this room for yourself!

ℹ️ Bookings can be made online (via the link in bio).

29/10/2026

Enjoy a night at the theatre and an overnight stay (or two) at Belle Tout Lighthouse Bed and Breakfast - this November, Matthew Bourne’s award-winning The Car Man is back!

Wed 18 - Sat 21 Nov 2026

Loosely based on Bizet’s ever-popular opera, The Car Man has one of the most thrilling and instantly recognisable scores in New Adventures’ repertoire.

The familiar 19th Century Spanish cigarette factory becomes a greasy 1950’s garage-diner in the American Mid-West where the dreams and passions of a small-town are shattered by the arrival of a handsome and enigmatic stranger. Fuelled by heat and desire, the inhabitants are driven into an unstoppable spiral of greed, lust, betrayal and revenge.

Matthew Bourne’s vivid storytelling combines with one of the most passionately dramatic scores ever written, with music by Terry Davies featuring Rodion Shchedrin’s Carmen Suite (after Bizet’s Carmen), to create a dance thriller like no other.

The Car Man will ignite your senses and leave you breathless.

***** ‘BUCKLE UP FOR THE RIDE OF YOUR LIFE. GRIPPING, GASP-MAKING, EDGE OF YOUR SEAT STUFF’ Daily Mail
***** ‘A SHATTERINGLY GOOD PIECE OF STORYTELLING. TERRIFIC’ Observer
***** ‘A THRILLING AND SERIOUSLY SEXY SENSATION’ Daily Express

FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS… Matthew Bourne’s award-winning The Car Man is back! Loosely based on Bizet’s ever-popular opera, The Car Man has one of the most thrilling and instantly recognisable scores in New Adventures’ repertoire. The familiar 19th Century Spanish cigarette factory b...

28/10/2026

Interested in the rich history of Belle Tout Lighthouse? The Story of the Belle Tout Lightouse

A book about the history of the lighthouse by Rob Wassell
Belle Tout has a fascinating history, from our Neolithic ancestors and Roman farming, through to the brave acts of Parson Darby and "Mad Jack" Fuller's influence that led to the first temporary lighthouse being built.

The Belle Tout lighthouse was built in 1832 and decommissioned in 1902, it has been a tea-shop, a home, partly destroyed during the second world war and lovingly rebuilt in the 50’s.

Owned and filmed by the BBC, moved due to erosion - and now, Belle Tout has been beautifully renovated and refurbished.

This book includes rarely seen pictures and facts that many people will not be aware of.

The book is printed in full colour A5 format, with 44 pages and 99 pictures. It’s an interesting and captivating tale of one of Britain’s most unique buildings.

Buy here -

The story of Belle Tout Lighthouse by Rob Wassell, read the fascinating story about this unique lighthouse. Learn more.

27/10/2026

Rescued in 1956, this article looks at the impact of architect Ted Cullinan.

Ted’s plan for the lighthouse was an imaginative repurposing of a functional building for a domestic use, preserving the structure and materials that could be reused, and repairing what could be repaired. That approach remains a Cullinan Studio hallmark.

The elements that couldn’t be repaired Ted demolished. But he replaced them with a strikingly modern design.

Belle Tout Lighthouse still stands as a monument to the Cullinan Studio philosophy.

https://www.cullinanstudio.com/news-update/ahead-of-its-time-belle-tout

Cullinan Studio have always been innovators; specialists in things that have never been done before. Our archives are full of buildings that point to the future, of ideas that were radical at the time but have since become accepted wisdom.

27/10/2026

300 years this month - The good Parson died on 25th October 1726, at the age of 59 years.

Long before the lighthouses saved lives at sea, the local vicar’s heart was troubled by the constant loss of life on the sea-edge of his parish. In those days there were no lighthouses or protection for sailors and wrecks, with loss of life, were a frequent occurrence.

“Parson Darby’s Hole” - Utilising a deep fissure in the chalk with chisel and axe, he hewed out a wide chamber with side recesses for shelter from the wind and he connected this (for his cave was some 20 feet up out of reach of the sea at high water) with the beach by a sloping tunnel and a set of steps. When the channel was running with winter gales, the Reverend Jonathan spent night after night in his cave. Outside hung a great lamp so to guide sailors who might be struggling below in the sea and within the little side recesses we have mentioned he would take rest and shelter and with ropes and other assistances at his side was always ready for an emergency.

He died 300 years ago this month - The good Parson died on 25th October 1726, at the age of 59 years.

📸 Parson Darby created by Doug Darby

Address

Beachy Head
Eastbourne
BN200AE

Telephone

+441323423185

Website

https://www.belletout.co.uk/, https://www.belletout.co.uk/accommodation/beachy-head/, https://www.belletout.co.uk/accomm

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Belle Tout Lighthouse posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.