It has original fine, but battered, ashlar masonry to a height of 4.6 metres (15 ft); the present lantern was added on top at a later date.

They were described in the New Seaman's Guide as "small white houses displaying lights at night".

In 1816 an outer pier, about 46 metres (151 ft) long, was built to give shipping extra protection inside the harbour.

The drydock and lighthouse on the small creek at Amlwch once served the shipping of one of the largest copper mines in Europe, located at Parys Mountain.

The significance of the early copper-exporting port at Amlwch makes the lighthouse part of a heritage site of international importance.