Île d'Yeu Lighthouse
The Île d'Yeu Lighthouse, sometimes called the Grand Phare (Great Lighthouse)[1] or La Petite Foule,[2] is a French lighthouse constructed on the Île d'Yeu in 1950.[3] The current structure, is the third serving the site.[4]
The first lighthouse at the site, a masonry building 108 feet tall constructed in 1830, was destroyed by German troops near the close of World War II. It was replaced by a temporary tower while work was completed on a third light. This, the current tower, is a little taller, 125 feet tall, and was designed in the Art Deco style by Maurice Durand. Made of concrete and painted white, its lantern is black, while the base is built of grey stone. Several one-storey keeper's dwellings and other outbuildings serve the station.[2]
Before the lighthouse
For many years, sailors from
Military use of the bell tower continued between 1804 and 1828; in the latter year the structure was returned to control of the commune, who refused to maintain it. In 1833, important repairs were carried out on the tower. Nevertheless, a pronouncement of 18 April 1836 found that it was not fair to force the commune to maintain the bell tower in its then-current state, given that it could be either removed or shortened without doing damage to the church itself.[5] As it was eventually decided that the tower was of essential importance to the island, the state agreed to subsidize repairs, allotting 3000 gold francs for the purpose in 1837. Ten years later the same issue arose, and was dealt with in the same fashion. The old tower stood, being badly damaged in a 1952 storm, before being destroyed in a fire the following year; it was rebuilt in its former form in 1954.[5]
First lighthouse
The first lighthouse on the site was formally opened on 15 October 1830; it showed a fixed white light from a first-order
Present lighthouse
The current lighthouse stands on the heights of the island, just above its airport,[2] and was first lit on 1 May 1950. Just like its predecessor, it shows a single flash every five seconds. This tower was automated in 1980. It is one of two lighthouses on the island designed by Durand; the other is that at the Pointe des Corbeaux, which was constructed in the same year.
See also
References
- ISBN 978-1-78477-086-0. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
- ^ a b c d Rowlett, Russ (6 March 2014). "Lighthouses of France: La Vendée". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of France: La Vendée". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
- ^ Grand Phare de l’île d’Yeu (Phare de la Petite Foule) Ministère de l'Écologie, du Développement durable et de l'Énergie (in French)
- ^ a b c d e f "ile d'yeu". Retrieved 29 June 2008.
External links
- Base Mérimée: Phare de l'île d'Yeu aussi appelé Phare de la Petite Foule, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)