The lighthouses are designed to be used as a pair to guide shipping through the treacherous sandbanks of the Wyre estuary.

Each was run off the town's gas supply, with a single parabolic reflector placed behind the burner;[4] later they were converted to electricity.

[5] The lamp is approximately 104 feet (32 m) above sea level,[2] giving a range of about 12 nautical miles (22 km).

For many years, the lighthouse was painted a striking cream and red colour, but in the late 1970s, the original sandstone was again exposed.

The Fleetwood terminal loop of the Blackpool tramway runs past the foot of the lighthouse.