[1] Construction started in 1876 and it became operational in 1879, it consists of an octagonal 22-metre-high (72 ft) tower of local limestone with two galleries and a lantern room.

Originally painted white, it now has a distinctive red band daymark half-way up the tower.

[4] In 1940, the SS Pelinaion a Greek freighter en route from Africa to Baltimore which was oblivious to the fact that the lighthouses had been switched off due to the war, ran aground and broke in two on a reef to the east of St. David's Head.

The sizeable wreck is now a popular dive site, with the boilers and triple-expansion steam engine still visible.

[7] The lighthouse is maintained by the Bermuda Department of Marine & Ports Services, and is registered under the international Admiralty number J4472 and has the NGA identifier of 110–11616.