Ytterholmen Lighthouse

The lighthouse is built on a small uninhabited island called Ytterholmen in the Heroy municipality in Nordland. It is aproximately 40 kilometres west of the town of Sandnessjoen and approximately 15 Kilometres southwest of the Gasvaer Islands.

In the early 20 th century there was strong support for a lighthouse in the area due to the high number of fisheries vessels sailing in the vicinity. These requests were supported by the lighthouse service who also wanted a light that would be visible for shipping heading towards Vestfjorden. It was therefore agreed the light would be built on the high cliff top of Ytterholmen. The island was 40 metres high on the cliff top so the lighthouse was only required to be built 9 metres high.

The lantern received a second order optic from Chance Brothers of Smethwick near Birmingham.

A concrete landing stage was built along with wooden keepers cottages, all works being completed by the autumn of 1912. At its peak there were three families and a total of nine children living at the lighthouse. They kept goats, sheep, cows and chickens but the worst problem was that they had no fresh water so had to collect and store rainwater.

In 1959 the lighthouse was electrified with the use of diesel generators, in 1980 the light was automated and in 2003 the lantern and light were both updated and replaced.