Morant Point Lighthouse

Morant Point Lighthouse is on the easternmost tip of Jamaica.[2]

Morant Point Lighthouse
LocationMorant Point
Saint Thomas
Jamaica
Coordinates17.918452°N 76.184297°W / 17.918452; -76.184297[1]
Tower
Constructed1841 
Designed byAlexander Gordon 
Built byGeorge Grove 
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 
Light
First lit1841
Focal height35 metres (115 ft)[3]
Range22 nmi (41 km; 25 mi) 
CharacteristicFl (3) W 20s.[3]

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 Works.[3]

See also

References
  1. UK Directorate of Overseas Surveys 1:50,000 map of Jamaica (12 sheets), 1958-1973.
  2. Morant Point Lighthouse Archived 2009-09-08 at the Wayback Machine, Jamaica National Heritage Trust, 2005.
  3. 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.
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