Georgetown Lighthouse, Guyana

Georgetown Lighthouse
Location Water Street, Georgetown, Guyana[1]
Coordinates 6°49′25″N 58°09′52″W / 6.8236966°N 58.1643569°WCoordinates: 6°49′25″N 58°09′52″W / 6.8236966°N 58.1643569°W
Year first lit 1817[1]
Automated Clockwork[1]
Foundation Forty nine greenheart piles
Construction Stone[1]
Tower shape Octagonal[1]
Markings / pattern Red and white vertical stripes[1]
Focal height 70 feet (21 m)[1]
Characteristic Flash every 60s, red or white depending on direction.[1]
Admiralty number J6841[1]
NGA number 17292[1]
ARLHS number GUY-001[1]

The Georgetown Lighthouse was first built by the Dutch in 1817 and then rebuilt in 1830 to help guide ships into the Demerara River from the Atlantic Ocean. The 31 m (103 feet) high octagonal structure is a famous Georgetown, Guyana landmark with its distinct vertical red and white stripes. The Lighthouse, located on Water Street, is a National Monument.[2]

The brick structure was commissioned on 1 June 1830, when it replaced a wooden lighthouse that had been built on the same site by the Dutch. British engineers constructed the present lighthouse, reinforcing the building by placing it on a foundation of 49 greenheart piles, making it durable nearly 200 years later.

A floating light was placed at the Demerara bar in March 1838 and a system of signalling to the lighthouse was established. On 27 February 1838 a Committee of Pilotage was formed and entrusted with the signalling. Before establishment of the System of Signalling, a beacon had been erected on the East Coast Demerara and vessels entering had to contribute to the cost of constructing the beacon.

About a half mile east of Fort Groyne there was a block house which was used as a signal station for vessels arriving, and for signalling to Berbice. The coastal signalling was done by semaphore stations.

A steel balcony at the top of the Lighthouse offers a panoramic view of Georgetown and West Coast Demerara.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 Rowlett, Russ (2009-01-12). "Lighthouses of Guyana". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  2. ↑ "The Lighthouse". Monument Watch. Georgetown, Guyana: National Trust of Guyana. October 2002. Retrieved 2009-11-14.

External links