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Morant Point Lighthouse

Coordinates: 17°55′06″N 76°11′03″W / 17.918452°N 76.184297°W / 17.918452; -76.184297
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Morant Point Lighthouse
Map
LocationMorant Point
Saint Thomas
Jamaica
Coordinates17°55′06″N 76°11′03″W / 17.918452°N 76.184297°W / 17.918452; -76.184297[1]
Tower
Constructed1841 Edit this on Wikidata
Designed byAlexander Gordon Edit this on Wikidata
Built byGeorge Grove Edit this on Wikidata
Foundationconcrete[3]
Constructioncast iron tower[3]
Height29 metres (95 ft)
Shapetapered cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markingstower painted with red and white horizontal bands
Heritagenational monument Edit this on Wikidata
Light
First lit1841
Focal height35 metres (115 ft)[2]
Range22 nmi (41 km; 25 mi) Edit this on Wikidata
CharacteristicFl (3) W 20s.[2]

Morant Point Lighthouse is on the easternmost tip of Jamaica, and is the oldest lighthouse on the island.[3]

Description

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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[3] and the first cast iron lighthouse built in the Western Hemisphere.[2]

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.[2] To protect against surf during hurricanes, a semicircular masonry wall has been built around the seaward side of the base of the lighthouse.[2]

It was designed by Alexander Gordon and built by George Grove, later a leading writer on music.[2]

It is listed by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust as a historic monument, being "of considerable interest to historians of industrial technology".[3]

It is maintained by the Port Authority of Jamaica, an agency of the Ministry of Transport and Mining.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ UK Directorate of Overseas Surveys 1:50,000 map of Jamaica (12 sheets), 1958-1973.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Rowlett, Russ (2008-10-20). "Lighthouses of Jamaica". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  3. ^ a b c d e Morant Point Lighthouse Archived 2009-09-08 at the Wayback Machine, Jamaica National Heritage Trust, 2005.
  4. ^ Morant Point Lighthouse, Frans Eijgenraam, 2000.
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