Europa Point Lighthouse
Location | Europa Point, Gibraltar, United Kingdom |
---|---|
Coordinates | 36°06′35″N 5°20′41″W / 36.109634°N 5.344798°W |
Tower | |
Constructed | 1838 |
Construction | masonry (tower) |
Automated | February 1994 |
Height | 20 m (66 ft) |
Shape | cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern |
Markings | white (tower), white (lantern) , stripe (red, horizontal direction) |
Operator | Trinity House (1838–) |
Light | |
First lit | 1 August 1841 |
Focal height | 49 m (161 ft) |
Lens | Single-tier LED |
Intensity | 72,216 candela |
Range | 18 nmi (33 km; 21 mi) |
Characteristic | Iso W 10s |
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.
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
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
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
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
Later, between 1954 and 1956, further extensive changes were made and the introduction of electric lighting further improved visibility.
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
Description
The lighthouse, which remains active, is strategically located at the southeastern tip of the
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
The lighthouse is the only such building outside of the British Isles which is operated by Trinity House, a lighthouse agency based in England.
Soon after World War II,
See also
- Lighthouses in Gibraltar
References
- Notes
- Citations
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ a b c d e f "Europa Point". gibraltar.gi. Official Gibraltar Website. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Gibraltar". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
- ^ Lee, Sidney, ed. (1900). . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 62. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
- ^ a b c d e "Lighthouse at Europa Point". gibraltar.com. Gibraltar Travel Guide. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- ^ The Merchants' Magazine and Commercial Review. F. Hunt. 1842. p. 578.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Alice Mascarenhas (5 May 2009). "The Shrine of Our Lady of Europe is a Centre of Spirituality". Gibraltar Chronicle. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- ^ "Lighthouse management: the report of the Royal Commissioners on Lights, Buoys, and Beacons, 1861, examined and refuted Vol. 2". 1861. p. 106.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Europa Point". trinityhouse.co.uk. Trinity House. Archived from the original on 17 August 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- ISBN 978-3-86195-170-4.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Admiralty Hydrogr. Dept (1885). Sailing directions. Pilot for the west coasts of France, Spain, and Portugal (3 ed.). p. 318. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- ^ Chance, James Francis (1902). The Lighthouse Work of Sir James Chance, Bt (PDF). London: Smith, Elder & co. pp. 58–61. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- ^ Woodman, Richard; Wilson, Jane (2002). The Lighthouses of Trinity House. Bradford-on-Avon, Wilts.: Thomas Reed. p. 245.
- ^ "Europa Point Lighthouse re-engineering complete". Trinity House. 15 March 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
- ^ "Historical Gibraltar Attractions". gibraltarinformation.com. Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
- ^ "Europa Point". Gibraltar.com. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
- ^ Gibraltar Lighthouse, etc. Act 1838 (1 & 2 Vict.) c. 66
- ^ "About Trinity House". trinityhouse.co.uk. Trinity House. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- ^ "Gibraltar Amateur Radio Society". gibradio.net. Gibraltar Amateur Radio Society. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- ^ "Calling the world from the lighthouse". panorama.gi. Gibraltar News from Panorama. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
External links
- Media related to Europa Point Lighthouse at Wikimedia Commons
- Europa Point Lighthouse Archived 17 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine at Trinityhouse.co.uk
- 1993 lighthouse tour