Morant Point Lighthouse

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Morant Point Lighthouse
View of Morant Point Lighthouse Facing East II.jpg
Morant Point Lighthouse
Location Morant Point
Saint Thomas
Jamaica
Coordinates 17°55′06″N76°11′03″W / 17.918452°N 76.184297°W / 17.918452; -76.184297 Coordinates: 17°55′06″N76°11′03″W / 17.918452°N 76.184297°W / 17.918452; -76.184297 [1]
Tower
Constructed1841  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Designed by Alexander Gordon   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Built by George Grove   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Foundationconcrete [2]
Constructioncast iron tower [2]
Height29 metres (95 ft)
Shapetapered cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markingstower painted with red and white horizontal bands
Heritagenational monument  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Light
First lit1841
Focal height35 metres (115 ft) [3]
Range22 nmi (41 km; 25 mi)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Characteristic Fl (3) W 20s. [3]

Morant Point Lighthouse is on the easternmost tip of Jamaica, and is the oldest lighthouse on the island. [2]

Contents

Description

Erected in 1841 by Kru men from Africa (who were among the free Africans brought to Jamaica in the period following emancipation), it is the oldest lighthouse on the island [2] and the first cast iron lighthouse built in the Western Hemisphere. [3]

It consists of a 30 m (100 ft) iron tube, cast in London in 1841, which has a diameter of 5 m (18 ft) at the base and 3 m (11 ft) at the cap [4] with lantern and gallery, painted with red and white horizontal bands. [3] To protect against surf during hurricanes, a semicircular masonry wall has been built around the seaward side of the base of the lighthouse. [3]

It was designed by Alexander Gordon and built by George Grove, later a leading writer on music. [3]

It is listed by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust as a historic monument, being "of considerable interest to historians of industrial technology". [2]

It is maintained by the Port Authority of Jamaica, an agency of the Ministry of Transport and Mining. [3]

See also

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References

  1. UK Directorate of Overseas Surveys 1:50,000 map of Jamaica (12 sheets), 1958-1973.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Morant Point Lighthouse Archived 2009-09-08 at the Wayback Machine , Jamaica National Heritage Trust, 2005.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rowlett, Russ (2008-10-20). "Lighthouses of Jamaica". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  4. Morant Point Lighthouse, Frans Eijgenraam, 2000.