Survey Data
Reg No
40815073
Categories of Special Interest
Social, Technical
Original Use
Lighthouse
Date
1870 - 1920
Coordinates
234224, 431176
Date Recorded
10/09/2008
Date Updated
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Description
Lighthouse, erected 1876, on circular-plan comprising cylindrical shaft with wrought-iron brackets supporting circular metal platform over with protective metal railings, and surmounted by cast-iron light-base. Reflector contained within protective ironwork casing with tinted red glass sectors. Formerly sited at west end of main pier, recently removed.
Appraisal
This interesting and unusual former lighthouse, of late nineteenth-century date, retains its original form and character. It is well constructed using good-quality cast- and wrought-iron, and it is a feature of some historic and technical merit. It was originally established along the pier in Buncrana in January 1876 by a James Tocker, using a cast-iron pillar formerly at Newcastle, Co. Down. It originally had an oil lamp but this was later converted to acetylene in 1916 and to electric in 1951. It served from January 1876 to January 2009, when it was decommissioned by the Commissioners of Irish Lights. It formerly had a range of 15 nautical miles in the white sector(s) and 12 nautical miles in the red sectors. However, the Buncrana Historical Society had it restored by Crana Engineering and it was resited here in August 2010, overlooking Lough Swilly. This former lighthouse is not only a refined piece of Victorian technical engineering, but also an integral element of the region's rich maritime heritage.