W Alderney Lighthouse was built in 1912 in order to act as a guide to passing shipping and to warn vessels of the treacherous waters around the Isle. It is sited on Qu nard Point, to the north-east of the Island. The Alderney Race, a notorious strait of water between Alderney and Cap de la Hague in France includes the strongest tidal streams in Europe. These are caused by the tidal surge from the Atlantic building up in the cul de sac of the gulf of St Malo with the only escape in the north east corner between Alderney and Cap de la Hague.
Water flows through at speed at high tide and is sucked back down through as the tide recedes.
An uneven sea bed adds to the turbulance with a number of hazardous rocks located within a few miles of the lighthouse. Alderney lighthouse tower rises 32 metres and is painted white with a central black band to make it more visible to shipping during the hours of daylight. The former keepers' dwellings adjoin the tower, as do the service rooms, and the station is surrounded by a white wall. Alderney Lighthouse was automated in 1997 with the keepers leaving the lighthouse on 1 October. The lighthouse is now monitored and controlled from the Trinity House Operational Control Centre at Harwich in Essex.