Survey Data
Reg No
20915315
Rating
National
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Historical, Social, Technical
Original Use
Lighthouse
In Use As
Lighthouse
Date
1895 - 1905
Coordinates
98265, 18793
Date Recorded
05/08/2009
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Circular-plan tapering lighthouse, built 1899-1903, site work commenced 1897, and lantern added 1904. Ashlar granite walls, having pair of cast-iron balconies set below lantern. Square-headed openings. Set on rocky island, with remains of earlier cast-iron lighthouse, built 1853, to site. Flat roof building with helipad to roof to site. Approached by flight of cut stone steps. Stone quay and causeway, having rail tracks to site.
Appraisal
Built to replace an earlier cast-iron lighthouse, this elegant building is an iconic West Cork structure. Almost all aspects of the tower were designed by engineer William Doughlass, though C.W. Scott was responsible for much of the construction, as ill health prevented Doughlass from completing the project. The granite blocks were dressed at Messrs John Freeman and Sons of Penrhyn, Cornwall, and brought to the rock ready for laying. James Kavanagh, a Wicklow stone mason, was foreman at the site, and is credited with making an outstanding achievement to the construction of this magnificent lighthouse. Laying of the masonry courses began in 1899 and finished in 1903. The lantern made by Messrs Chance Brothers Ltd of Smethwick, England, exhibited light for the first time in 1904. Set in an extremely exposed location, this lighthouse remains a testament to the skill and dedication of those involved in its construction, and a live saver to those at sea.