Europa Point Lighthouse

Last updated

Europa Point Lighthouse
Europa Point Lighthouse and cottages.jpg
Europa Point Lighthouse at Gibraltar, with former keepers' cottages to the left and the former fog-horn house to the right
Europa Point Lighthouse
Location Europa Point, Gibraltar, United Kingdom OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Coordinates 36°06′35″N5°20′41″W / 36.109634°N 5.344798°W / 36.109634; -5.344798
Tower
Constructed1838  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Constructionmasonry (tower)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
AutomatedFebruary 1994  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Height20 m (66 ft)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Shapecylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markingswhite (tower), white (lantern)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg , stripe (red, horizontal direction)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Operator Trinity House (1838)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Light
First lit1 August 1841  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Focal height49 m (161 ft)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
LensSingle-tier LED
Intensity72,216 candela  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Range18 nmi (33 km; 21 mi)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Characteristic Iso W 10s  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The Europa Point Lighthouse, also referred to as the Trinity Lighthouse at Europa Point and the Victoria Tower or La Farola in Llanito, is a lighthouse at Europa Point, on the southeastern tip of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea.

Contents

Europa Lighthouse was inaugurated on 1 August 1841 in a brief ceremony witnessed by about 10,000 people. The first upgrade of the lighthouse occurred in 1864, when the single-wick lamp was replaced with a Chance Brothers four-wick burner, with further changes in 1875 and in 1894 when the amount of light emitted was increased. A three incandescent mantle burner was added in 1905. Following further modernisation in the 20th century, the lighthouse was fully automated in 1994 and converted to LED operation in 2016.

Europa Point Lighthouse is operated by Trinity House. The cylindrical tower is painted white, with a wide red horizontal band in the middle. The lighthouse has a height of 20 metres (66 ft) and is 49 metres (161 ft) above the high-water mark.

History

Also known as the Trinity Lighthouse at Europa Point and the Victoria Tower, [1] the Europa Point Lighthouse, of classic British design, first underwent construction in 1838. [2] [3] Sir Alexander George Woodford (1782–1870), Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Gibraltar, set the first stone for the lighthouse's foundation on 26 April 1838, with the aid of the Masonic Order of Gibraltar. [2] [4] The inscription read: [1]

This foundation-stone of a light-house, erected by order of the colonial government of her Majesty Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland and their dependencies, in the first year of her reign, was laid on the 26th day of April, A.D. 1838, A.L. 5838, with military and masonic honours, by his Excellency Major-General Sir Alexander Woodford, K.C.B. &c. governor and commander-in-chief of the town and garrison of Gibraltar, assisted by the Rev. W. E. T. Burrow, D.D. F.R.S. Provincial Grand Master, for the protection of Mediterranean commerce, the saving of human life, and the honour of the British name.

A brief ceremony commemorated the event, which was witnessed by about 10,000 people. [1] [5] Construction of the lighthouse was completed in 1841, and was inaugurated according to schedule on 1 August that year. [6] The first lighting of the Europa Point Lighthouse drew an audience of more than 2,000 people. [2] [3] [5]

To navigate the Bay of Gibraltar prior to the opening of the lighthouse sailors were dependent on the light emitted by the Shrine of Our Lady of Europe, Roman Catholic shrine, which was originally a mosque built after the victory of King Ferdinand IV of Spain over the Moors at the 1309 siege. They expressed their gratitude by leaving supplies of oil at the chapel, which also encouraged the continued burning of the lights. [5] [7] [8]

Europa Point Lighthouse in 1879 Europa Light House 1879.jpg
Europa Point Lighthouse in 1879

At the time of the opening of the lighthouse in 1841, a fixed light was emitted by an oil lamp with one wick. The intensity of the light was increased by a large (first-order) optic by Cookson & Co., [9] combining a main dioptric fixed lens with upper and lower tiers of catoptric mirrors. [10] On 25 April 1843, lighting was upgraded to improve visibility from Sandy Bay, and in 1854, the lighthouse had a reported visibility of 16 miles (26 km). [11]

Repairs and alterations were made to the lighthouse in 1863-64 by engineer Henry Norris, [12] when the single-wick lamp was replaced with a Chance Brothers four-wick burner, and a new, much-improved optic was provided (a first-order fixed catadioptric, also by Chance Brothers). The improvements included provision of a red arc of light over the hazardous Pearl Rock region: [10] [13] in order to maintain the intensity of the red light out as far as Pearl Rock (which was 6 miles away), 9-foot high vertical reflecting prisms were used to redirect light from the landward side (where it would otherwise be wasted) back through the red sector. [14] An additional upgrade was made in 1875 when the lamp was switched out for a four-wick mineral oil burner. [10]

In 1894, the lighthouse was further altered to increase the amount of light emitted. The four-wick burner was exchanged for a Douglass burner with eight wicks and the lantern was improved; the power of the light was thereby increased to 35,000 candela. The characteristic of the light changed from fixed to occulting. An explosive fog signal was also introduced, with two quick blasts every five minutes. [5] [10] The eight-wick burner was exchanged for a three incandescent mantle burner in 1905. [10] In 1923, the burner was replaced by a Hood petroleum vapour burner with one mantle. [10]

The 1956 optic on display (after it was removed from the lighthouse). Lighthouse lens.jpg
The 1956 optic on display (after it was removed from the lighthouse).

Later, between 1954 and 1956, further extensive changes were made and the introduction of electric lighting further improved visibility. [5] [10] As part of the upgrade, a much more powerful, revolving lens system was introduced for the primary optic: a Stone-Chance 2nd Order Catadioptric optic. By a complex arrangement of lenses and shades, the optic displayed an isophase white light (5 seconds on, 5 seconds off) when seen from most directions, but was seen as a red occulting light (on for 5.8 seconds, off for 4.2 seconds) within the red sector, covering the Pearl Rock. [15] In addition, at this time, a separate red sector light was added, which projected a fixed red beam across the same sector from a room below the main light. To accommodate the new equipment, the height of the tower was increased by 6 feet (1.8 m). [10] Also, as part of this upgrade, a set of SuperTyfon foghorns was installed, mounted on their own engine-house, alongside the tower; they sounded one blast every 20 seconds.

The lighthouse was fully automated in February 1994. [2] The extant optics were kept, but complemented with a three-position lampchanger. The foghorn was changed to an electric model, with a directional 500 Hz emitter stack that was installed on the gallery of the lantern room. [10]

In 2016, as part of a comprehensive upgrade to the light and its electric systems, the revolving optic was removed (along with the red arc, with its vertical prisms, and the subsidiary sector light). It was replaced with a pair of all-round white single-tier LED lanterns displaying an isophase characteristic (one providing the main light, the other serving as a standby). At the same time the fog signal was discontinued. The decommissioned 1950s optic was then presented to the newly established University of Gibraltar, where it has been placed on display. [16]

Description

Europa Point Lighthouse Europa Point Lighthouse, Gibraltar 12.JPG
Europa Point Lighthouse

The lighthouse, which remains active, is strategically located at the southeastern tip of the Rock of Gibraltar at Europa Point, between the Atlantic and Mediterranean, rising to 49 metres (161 ft) above the high-water mark. [2] [3] [10] [17] The Mediterranean is to the east, the Bay of Gibraltar to the northwest, and the Strait of Gibraltar to the southwest. [3]

The lighthouse has a 19 metres (62 ft) masonry tower with lantern and gallery; the tower is painted white, with a single wide red horizontal band in the middle. [3] It is locally known as "La Farola" (literally 'lamppost' in Spanish) in Llanito, Gibraltar's spoken vernacular. [18]

Administration

Europa Point Lighthouse and Rock of Gibraltar, as viewed from Strait of Gibraltar Gibraltar-Europa-Point-LH-from-the-sea.jpg
Europa Point Lighthouse and Rock of Gibraltar, as viewed from Strait of Gibraltar

The lighthouse is the only such building outside of the British Isles which is operated by Trinity House, a lighthouse agency based in England. [2] [3] Accordingly, it is also referred to as the Trinity Lighthouse. Trinity House was made responsible for building and operating the Europa Point Lighthouse by the Gibraltar Lighthouse, etc. Act 1838. [19] In addition, section 634 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1894 resulted in Trinity House becoming the general lighthouse authority for Gibraltar. [10] [20] The site of the lighthouse is managed by the Government of Gibraltar, and monitoring of the lighthouse is through a reporting station connected by telephone to the Gibraltar Port Office. [3] [10] The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office Admiralty Digital Lists of Lights (ADLL) number for the Europa Point Lighthouse is D2438. The United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) number is 4220. [3]

Soon after World War II, amateur radio, also called ham radio, made its appearance in Gibraltar. The Gibraltar Amateur Radio Society, with its headquarters on Coaling Island, operates from the lighthouse once annually, during the third weekend of August. The annual International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend has as its goal in Gibraltar of putting the Europa Point Lighthouse on the air, using the call sign, ZB2LGT. [21] [22] The Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society (ARLHS) number for the lighthouse is GIB-001. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longships Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse in England

Longships Lighthouse is an active 19th-century lighthouse about 1.25 mi (2.0 km) off the coast of Land's End in Cornwall, England. It is the second lighthouse to be built on Carn Bras, the highest of the Longships islets which rises 39 feet (12 m) above high water level. In 1988 the lighthouse was automated, and the keepers withdrawn. It is now remotely monitored from the Trinity House Operations & Planning Centre in Harwich, Essex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwold Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse in Southwold, Waveney, Suffolk, England

Southwold Lighthouse is a lighthouse operated by Trinity House in the centre of Southwold in Suffolk, England. It stands on the North Sea coast, acting as a warning light for shipping passing along the east coast and as a guide for vessels navigating to Southwold harbour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddystone Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse in Cornwall, England

The Eddystone Lighthouse is a lighthouse on the Eddystone Rocks, 9 statute miles (14 km) south of Rame Head in Cornwall, England. The rocks are submerged below the surface of the sea and are composed of Precambrian gneiss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishop Rock</span> Skerry in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Cornwall, England

The Bishop Rock is a skerry off the British coast in the northern Atlantic Ocean known for its lighthouse. It is in the westernmost part of the Isles of Scilly, an archipelago 45 kilometres off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The Guinness Book of Records lists it as the world's smallest island with a building on it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Souter Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse in England

Souter Lighthouse is a lighthouse located to the North of Whitburn, South Tyneside, England.. Souter Point was the first lighthouse in the world to be actually designed and built specifically to use alternating electric current, the most advanced lighthouse technology of its day. The light was generated by a carbon arc lamp: first lit on 11 January 1871, it was described at the time as 'without doubt one of the most powerful lights in the world'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Foreland</span> Lighthouse

North Foreland is a chalk headland on the Kent coast of southeast England, specifically in Broadstairs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pendeen Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse

Pendeen Lighthouse, also known as Pendeen Watch is an active aid to navigation located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) to the north of Pendeen in west Cornwall, England. It is located within the Aire Point to Carrick Du SSSI, the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the Penwith Heritage Coast. The South West Coast Path passes to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trevose Head Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse on the north coast of Cornwall, England

Trevose Head Lighthouse is a lighthouse on Trevose Head on the north Cornish coast at grid reference SW850766 lying to the WSW of Padstow and was sited here as there was previously no light from Land's End to Lundy and it would be visible from Cape Cornwall to Hartland Point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lizard Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse on the south coast of Cornwall, England

The Lizard Lighthouse is a lighthouse at Lizard Point, Cornwall, England, built to guide vessels passing through the English Channel. It was often the welcoming beacon to persons returning to England, where on a clear night, the reflected light could be seen 100 mi (160 km) away.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland Bill Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England

Portland Bill Lighthouse is a functioning lighthouse at Portland Bill, on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. The lighthouse and its boundary walls are Grade II Listed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurst Point Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse in Hampshire, England

Hurst Point Lighthouse is located at Hurst Point in the English county of Hampshire, and guides vessels through the western approaches to the Solent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolf Rock Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse

Wolf Rock Lighthouse is on the Wolf Rock, a single rock located 18 nautical miles east of St Mary's, Isles of Scilly and 8 nautical miles southwest of Land's End, in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The fissures in the rock are said to produce a howling sound in gales, hence the name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Needles Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse on the Isle of Wight, UK

The Needles Lighthouse is an active 19th century lighthouse on the outermost of the chalk rocks at The Needles on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom, near sea level. Designed by James Walker, for Trinity House at a cost of £20,000, it was completed in 1859 from granite blocks. It stands 33.25 metres (109.1 ft) high and is a circular tower with straight sides. It replaced an earlier light tower on top of a cliff overhanging Scratchell's Bay, which was first lit on 29 September 1786.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitby Lighthouse</span> Grade II listed lighthouse in the United Kingdom

Whitby Lighthouse is a lighthouse operated by Trinity House. It is on Ling Hill, on the coast to the southeast of Whitby, beyond Saltwick Bay. To distinguish it from the two lighthouses in Whitby itself it is sometimes known as Whitby High lighthouse

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anvil Point Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse

The Anvil Point Lighthouse is a fully-automated lighthouse located at Durlston Country Park near Swanage in Dorset, England. It is owned by Trinity House and currently operated as two holiday cottages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lowestoft Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse in Lowestoft, England

Lowestoft Lighthouse is a lighthouse operated by Trinity House located to the north of the centre of Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk. It stands on the North Sea coast close to Ness Point, the most easterly point in the United Kingdom. It acts as a warning light for shipping passing along the east coast and is the most easterly lighthouse in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Catherine's Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse on the southernmost point of the Isle of Wight, England

St Catherine's Lighthouse is a lighthouse located at St Catherine's Point at the southern tip of the Isle of Wight. It is one of the oldest lighthouse locations in Great Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dungeness Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse

Dungeness Lighthouse on the Dungeness Headland started operation on 20 November 1961. Its construction was prompted by the building of Dungeness nuclear power station, which obscured the light of its predecessor which, though decommissioned, remains standing. The new lighthouse is constructed of precast concrete rings; its pattern of black and white bands is impregnated into the concrete. It remains in use today, monitored and controlled from the Trinity House Operations and Planning Centre at Harwich, Essex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casquets lighthouses</span> Lighthouse in the Channel Islands

Casquets Lighthouse is an active lighthouse located on the rocky Les Casquets, Alderney, Channel Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lighthouses on Lundy</span>

The isle of Lundy has three lighthouses: a pair of active lights built in 1897 and a preserved older lighthouse dating from 1819.

References

Notes
    Citations
    1. 1 2 3 John Purdy (1840). "The Pharonology". The new sailing directory for the Strait of Gibraltar and the western division of the Mediterranean Sea. R.H. Laurie. p. i. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
    2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Europa Point". gibraltar.gi. Official Gibraltar Website. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
    3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Gibraltar". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . Retrieved 18 July 2012.
    4. Lee, Sidney, ed. (1900). "Woodford, Alexander George"  . Dictionary of National Biography . Vol. 62. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
    5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Lighthouse at Europa Point". gibraltar.com. Gibraltar Travel Guide. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
    6. The Merchants' Magazine and Commercial Review. F. Hunt. 1842. p. 578.
    7. "Origin of the title 'Our Lady of Europe'". ourladyofeurope.net. Catholic Diocese of Gibraltar. Archived from the original on 28 October 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
    8. Alice Mascarenhas (5 May 2009). "The Shrine of Our Lady of Europe is a Centre of Spirituality". Gibraltar Chronicle. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
    9. "Lighthouse management: the report of the Royal Commissioners on Lights, Buoys, and Beacons, 1861, examined and refuted Vol. 2". 1861. p. 106.
    10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Europa Point". trinityhouse.co.uk. Trinity House. Archived from the original on 17 August 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
    11. Anonym, Anonym (2009) [First published 1854]. Atlantic Navigator (1854). BoD – Books on Demand. p. 112. ISBN   978-3-86195-170-4.
    12. "The Army - Gibraltar Garrison", Saunders's News-Letter, p. 3, 8 September 1863, The lighthouse at Gibraltar is undergoing considerable alterations and repairs, under the directions of Mr. Norris, of the Trinity House, who has been sent out from England for this purpose.
    13. Admiralty Hydrogr. Dept (1885). Sailing directions. Pilot for the west coasts of France, Spain, and Portugal (3 ed.). p. 318. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
    14. Chance, James Francis (1902). The Lighthouse Work of Sir James Chance, Bt (PDF). London: Smith, Elder & co. pp. 58–61. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
    15. Woodman, Richard; Wilson, Jane (2002). The Lighthouses of Trinity House. Bradford-on-Avon, Wilts.: Thomas Reed. p. 245.
    16. "Europa Point Lighthouse re-engineering complete". Trinity House. 15 March 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
    17. "Historical Gibraltar Attractions". gibraltarinformation.com. Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
    18. "Europa Point". Gibraltar.com. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
    19. Gibraltar Lighthouse, etc. Act 1838 (1 & 2 Vict.) c. 66
    20. "About Trinity House". trinityhouse.co.uk. Trinity House. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
    21. "Gibraltar Amateur Radio Society". gibradio.net. Gibraltar Amateur Radio Society. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
    22. "Calling the world from the lighthouse". panorama.gi. Gibraltar News from Panorama. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
    Animation of photographs