Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Cape Blanc Lighthouse, located on the west coast of the Cape Peninsula, north of Miquelon, was built in 1883. It is the oldest lighthouse still standing in the archipelago of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, with that of Pointe-Plate. Its construction was motivated by the sinking of the English frigate Niobé in 1874, pushing the United Kingdom to ask France to build a lighthouse to secure navigation in this dangerous area.

The lighthouse, designed by the Barbier and Fenestre workshops (future BBT), is an innovative metal structure for the time. Its drum in riveted metal tubes rests on six triangular foothills, and it is equipped with a drum entry airlock to protect it from the weather. Because of the corrosion, it was later covered with a concrete shirt, while maintaining its visible internal metal structure. Access to the lantern is via a steel staircase with cast iron railings.

Listed as a historic monument on October 29, 2012, the Cap Blanc Lighthouse was renovated in 2015. It embodies both an industrial heritage, with its prefabricated manufacture, and a maritime heritage, linked to Franco-British trade in the North Atlantic. Its optics are based on a bath of mercury, a common technique at the time for long-range lighthouses.

The lighthouse is inseparable from the history of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, a strategic archipelago for transatlantic fishing and navigation. Its construction reflects the technological advances of the late 19th century, while meeting a maritime safety imperative after the Niobé tragedy, which cost the lives of many British sailors.

External links