Hunstanton Lighthouse has been warning shipping of dangerous sandbanks in the Wash for many hundreds of years. The first lighthouse was built here in 1666, it was built of wood with an iron basket of burning coals as a light; the current building dates back to 1844, with the light operating until 1922, when it was closed down and the lantern taken off. The lighthouse is now a private holiday home that you can hire from Norfolk Country Cottages. Next to the lighthouse you will find the ruins of St Edmund's Chapel which dates back to 1272 and it is claimed that it was built by monks to celebrate the arrival by St Edmund in 855.