Lighting of the first lighthouse 1775 (≈ 1775)
Quadrangular tower with coal, 18 meters.
1897
Construction of the second lighthouse
Construction of the second lighthouse 1897 (≈ 1897)
29 meters octagonal tower.
1944
Destruction by bombardment
Destruction by bombardment 1944 (≈ 1944)
Second lighthouse destroyed, reactivation of the first.
1950-1953
Construction of current lighthouse
Construction of current lighthouse 1950-1953 (≈ 1952)
Square tower of 16 meters, lit in 1953.
2001
Installation of atmospheric sensors
Installation of atmospheric sensors 2001 (≈ 2001)
Air quality measurement.
24 novembre 2010
Historical monument classification
Historical monument classification 24 novembre 2010 (≈ 2010)
Total protection of the site and buildings.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The lighthouse in its entirety, namely the tower, the technical building (Box B 219), the guardian's house (Box B 9219), the entrance gate and the trunk of the Société nationale de Sauvetage en Mer (Box B 219, 9219, 441) : inscription by order of 24 November 2010
Key figures
Augustin Fresnel - Optic engineer
Offers lenses in 1822.
Herr, Dumenil et François - Romanian architects
Design the current lighthouse (1950-1953).
Origin and history
The Ailly Lighthouse, located on the tip of Ailly in the Seine-Maritime, is the third building built on this site marked by the erosion of cliffs. The first lighthouse, a quadrangular tower of 18 metres in white stone, was lit in 1775 with a coal fireplace, replaced in 1780 by street lights. In 1822, Augustin Fresnel proposed to install lenses there, but erosion already threatened the structure, built 156 metres from the edge.
In 1897, a second 29-metre octagonal lighthouse, made of grey stones and red bricks, was erected 90 metres away from the first. Equipped with an oil gas filament lamp, it was destroyed in 1944 by allied bombardments. The old tower of 1775, temporarily reactivated, collapsed definitively between 1960 and 1968.
The current lighthouse, built from 1950 to 1953 by architects Herr, Dumenil and François, is a 16-metre square stone tower of Mignac, attached to a technical building. Turned on in 1953, it dominates the 94-metre sea and incorporates a modern green lantern. Ranked a historic monument in 2010, it has been home to air quality sensors since 2001. Its 91 steps staircase offers panoramic views of the Bay of Somme.
The site, which has been in operation since the 18th century, illustrates the evolution of maritime lighting techniques: from coal (1775) to electricity (1932), to vegetable oil (1778) and oil steam (1903). The national archives retain 49 plans of the lighthouse developed between 1815 and 1898, reflecting its historical importance.
The three successive lighthouses reflect the challenges posed by coastal erosion, with progressive retreats ranging from 156 metres (1775) to 90 metres (1897), then to the current location. The technical building and the guardian's house, added between 1960 and 1964, complete the protected architectural complex.
Today, Ailly's lighthouse remains one of the most powerful in the English Channel. Its entrance gate, its trunk of the SNSM (Société nationale de rescuing at sea), and its modern equipment make it a major heritage and scientific site, open to the visit since its classification.
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