Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Petit-Fort-Philippe lighthouse, located in Gravelines, Northern Department, was built in 1843 as part of the national coastal lighting programme launched in 1825. Its construction met a strategic need: to facilitate navigation to the Aa channel, a key point for the smuggling trade between France and England, especially after Napoleon's continental blockade in 1811. Equipped with a Fresnel lens and initially illuminated with rapeseed oil, he guided the sailors until 1985, the date of its definitive extinction after the retirement of its last guardian, Maurice Beloved.

The 29-metre-high lighthouse, built of bricks covered with a protective paddigeon, has undergone several technical developments. In 1904 his lighting went to oil steam and was electrified in 1938. In 1931-1932, a black spiral was added to its white coating, the nickname "Black and White". Damaged during the Second World War (its dome was taken away by the Germans and its tower sifted with holes), it was restored in 1949. The tower is then covered with concrete and repainted identically, while the guardian's house is renovated. Decommissioned in 1979, it remains a symbol of the local maritime heritage.

Ranked a historic monument since December 30, 2010, the Petit-Fort-Philippe Lighthouse no longer has an operational function but retains a strong heritage value. Property of the city of Gravelines since 2004, it offers panoramic views of the North Sea and the Opale Coast. Its architecture, distinctive colour and navigational history make it an emblematic place on the coast of the Hauts-de-France, even if it no longer guides ships as in the past.

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