The tower of Hook was built by Marshal c 1210 to 1230 as a landmark & light tower to guide shipping to his port of Ross.
The light was provided by a coal fire beacon. The many skilled castle builders employed by the Pembroke estate provided the necessary expertise. A large number of locals must have been employed in the construction.
The tower itself is built from local limestone and consists of 3 floors, Coal Store, Liberty Hall and the Monastery.
The design of the tower is a round tower castle called a Keep. One major difference while Castles are usually built for defensive purposes Hook Lighthouse was built as a Lighthouse, this is evident from the direction of the winding staircase.
Normally the stairs run clockwise so those in it have more room to defend descending the stairs on the right-hand side.
In the case of Hook, the stairs are anti-clockwise as initially coal and timber were used as the light source on top of the tower and this allowed the carrier more room on their right ascending the stairs.
Standing now over 35 m tall and over 12m wide it is still fully intact.
