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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Pointe-Plate lighthouse was erected in 1899 on a rocky peninsula southwest of Langlade in the archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon. It replaces a first lighthouse destroyed by a fire in 1894, temporarily replaced by a temporary fire and a reinforced siren. Its construction, entrusted to entrepreneur François Thélot, combines a cylindrical steel structure held by four legs of strength, covered in 1928 with a concrete shirt to combat corrosion. The top, painted in red, houses the lantern and the old watchroom.

In 1954, the lighthouse was electrified by a generator installed in an adjacent building, accompanied by a 40 m3 tank and a rail supply system from the sea. Two units for the guards and their families then complete the site, supplied by doris during calm periods. Automation took place in 1968, leading to the abandonment of ancillary buildings, of which today only the foundations remain. Ranked a historic monument on October 29, 2012, it appears on stamps issued in 1992 and 2016.

With the Cap Blanc lighthouse, it is one of the oldest lighthouses still standing in the old French colonies. Its utility architecture, adapted to hostile maritime conditions, reflects the technical challenges of coastal lighting at the end of the 19th century. The site, which has been accessible by a 15 km walk from the Government, is a testament to the isolation and resilience of the island communities of the archipelago.

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