The Needles are a row of three stacks of chalk that rise about 30 metres (98 ft) out of the sea off the western extremity of the Isle of Wight in the English Channel, United Kingdom, close to Alum Bay and Scratchell's Bay, and part of Totland, the westernmost civil parish of the Isle of Wight. The Needles Lighthouse stands at the outer, western end of the formation. Built in 1859, it has been automated since 1994.[1] The waters and adjoining seabed form part of the Needles Marine Conservation Zone and the Needles along with the shore and heath above are part of the Headon Warren and West High Down Site of Special Scientific Interest.[2][3]
The formation takes its name from a fourth needle-shaped pillar called Lot's wife, which collapsed in a storm in 1764.[4] The remaining rocks are not at all needle-like, but the name has stuck.
The Needles were featured on the BBC Two TV programme Seven Natural Wonders (2005) as one of the wonders of Southern England.
During Storm Eunice on 18 February 2022, the highest recorded wind gust in England was provisionally recorded at The Needles, at 122 miles per hour (196 km/h).[5]
LB&SCR H2 class 4-4-2 no. 423 (later no. B423 and 2423) was named The Needles after this landmark.
- ^ "Needles Lighthouse". Trinity House. n.d. Archived from the original on 2 May 2010. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
- ^ "The Needles MCZ". Natural England. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ^ "Headon Warren and West High Down SSSI" (PDF). Natural England. 1984. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ^ "The History of The Needles at Alum Bay". The Needles Park. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2007.
- ^ Lee, Joseph (18 February 2022). "Storm Eunice: Three people killed as strong winds sweep across UK". BBC News. Retrieved 19 February 2022.