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Point Amour Lighthouse

Coordinates: 51°27′38″N 56°51′30″W / 51.46049°N 56.85835°W / 51.46049; -56.85835
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Point Amour Lighthouse
Forteau Bay, Strait of Belle Isle, Point Amour, Provincial Historic Site, Newfoundland and Labrador
Map
LocationL'Anse Amour
Newfoundland and Labrador
Canada
Coordinates51°27′38″N 56°51′30″W / 51.46049°N 56.85835°W / 51.46049; -56.85835
Tower
Constructed1854-1858
Constructionlimestone covered with brick and clapboard tower
Automated1960s
Height125 feet
Shapecylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markingswhite tower with a horizontal black band, red dome
OperatorLabrador Straits Historical Development Corporation[1]
Heritageclassified federal heritage building of Canada, heritage lighthouse Edit this on Wikidata
Fog signal1 blast every 30s.
Light
Focal height46 metres (151 ft)
Lenssecond order Fresnel lens Edit this on Wikidata
Range18 nautical miles
CharacteristicFl W 20s.

The Point Amour Lighthouse is located on the shore of Forteau Bay, in Strait of Belle Isle, Labrador Peninsula, L'Anse Amour hamlet, in southern Labrador, Newfoundland and Labrador, province, Canada.

It was completed in 1857. It is the tallest lighthouse in Atlantic Canada, and the second tallest one in all of Canada,[2] reaching a height of 109 feet (33m).[3]

The Point Amour Lighthouse was part of a series of four lighthouses built in the 1850s to allow for safer passage for the increased steamship travel between Europe and the new world at that time.[4] The cylindrical tower is built of limestone and is painted white with a black band. The limestone used for construction of the lighthouse was obtained from local quarries. Other materials such as timber and brick were not as accessible and were shipped from Quebec to L’Anse au Loup. From L’Anse au Loup they were brought to the site where the lighthouse was constructed, four miles away.[5] It was built in the series of Imperial Towers and is designated a Provincial Historic Site. The residential part of the lighthouse, completed in 1857, has been renovated and now serves as a museum. The site was also home to a Marconi Station, of which only the foundations survive.

A second order Fresnel lens with a focal plane at 152 feet (46 m) above sea level is in use. In 1996 the operation of the lighthouse was converted to an automatic system. The light characteristic is a period of light of 16 seconds with an adjacent pause of 4 seconds. A fog signal may be sounded from a separate building.

Lighthouse keepers

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Lightkeepers Time
John Blampied 1857-1869
Pierre Godier 1869-1879
Matthew Wyatt 1879-1889
Thomas Wyatt 1889-1919
Jeff Wyatt 1919-1963
Milton Elliott 1963-1969
Max Sheppard 1969-1995

In the 1960s the lighthouse became automated.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Canada: Labrador and Belle Isle". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  2. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Canada: Labrador and Belle Isle". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 8 September 2008.
  3. ^ "Point Amour Lighthouse". Provincial Historic Sites. Retrieved 21 August 2024. Climb the 128 steps to the top of the lighthouse tower – the second tallest in Canada. Bring your binoculars to get a better view of icebergs and whales.
  4. ^ "Provincial Historic Site : Point Amour Lighthouse". www.pointamourlighthouse.ca. Retrieved 2016-11-24.
  5. ^ "Construction : Point Amour Lighthouse". www.pointamourlighthouse.ca. Retrieved 2016-11-24.
  6. ^ "Lightkeepers : Point Amour Lighthouse". www.pointamourlighthouse.ca. Retrieved 2016-11-24.
[edit]
Foundations of the old Marconi Station