Needham's Point Lighthouse, Bridgetown

Needham's Point Lighthouse in Carlisle Bay, the parish of Saint Michael in the southwest coast of Barbados, is one of the four historic lighthouses in the country still extant. The other three are at South Point, Harrison Point, and Ragged Point.

Unlike the rest of these lighthouses, Needham's Point has a stationary rather than rotating beacon. Owing to its stationary nature, the lighthouse lens was half red and half green to allow sailors to know whether they were on the port or starboard side of Carlisle Bay and thus navigate safely around the peninsula.

Built in 1855, this octagonal masonry tower – now painted white with a black lantern – is the island's second-oldest lighthouse. It is now inactive and partially restored by the Hilton Hotel which owns the lighthouse itself and surrounding grounds. Because of its proximity of a large block of rooms, the lighthouse can only be seen from the beach to the south of the hotel.

During the period of its active use, the focal plane of the lighthouse was 43 ft (13 m) above sea level and flashed at 8-second intervals. The new Needham's Point First Lighthouse, located close to the old one, is a metal mast painted in red and white horizontal stripes, with a white and red beacon 9 meters high. Its range is 14 nautical miles (about 26 km) for the white light and 10 nautical miles (about 19 km) for the red light.

The Hilton site is also the location of Charles Fort. The view from here is spectacular and will give you an idea of the location's importance in defense and sea navigation. Cannons still line the wall of the fort, strategically positioned as they would have been back in the 1600s.

The site of the lighthouse is open to the public; however, the tower itself is closed.