Built in 1844 by Cottam and Hallen of Cornwall Road,
Lambeth; in their works within sight of
Waterloo Bridge
Waterloo Bridge () is a road and foot traffic bridge crossing the River Thames in London, between Blackfriars Bridge and Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges. Its name commemorates the victory of the British, Dutch and Prussians at t ...
Erected by the
Royal Engineers, the Gibb's Hill Lighthouse is the taller of two
lighthouses
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Lighthouses mar ...
on
Bermuda
)
, anthem = "God Save the King"
, song_type = National song
, song = "Hail to Bermuda"
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, mapsize2 =
, map_caption2 =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name =
, es ...
, and one of the first lighthouses in the world to be made of
cast-iron
Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...
. This is because at that time, steel still was not able to be bent. The optic consists of a
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens developed by the French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788–1827) for use in lighthouses. It has been called "the invention that saved a million ships."
The design allows the c ...
from 1904 revolving on steel bearings. However, for most of its history, the lens revolved on a bed of 1,200 pounds of
mercury. While it is certainly not extremely tall in lighthouse standards, the hill that it stands on is one of the highest on the island. The light's
focal plane on Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, therefore, is at above sea level. Airplanes can see its flashes from over away.
The lighthouse has 185 steps to the top in eight flights. Until 1964, most of the light was run by hand, but in June of that year, the whole system was automated and runs on electricity. Sixty-thousand people ascended the lighthouse in 1985, and it continues to be a popular tourist attraction.
A
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, we ...
antenna for marine shipping was installed atop the lighthouse in 1987 supported on a steel space frame fixed at the original bolt locations. The radar and supporting frame were undamaged in September 2003 despite the oscillation of the tower during
Hurricane Fabian. This movement caused two gallons of mercury to slop out of the lens support trough and put the light out of operation. The 1904 lens was repaired in 2004 with steel bearings to replace the mercury.
At the base of the tower is the Lighthouse Tea Room, a restaurant converted from the lighthouse keeper's former living quarters, where breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served daily.
File:2010-06-19 Bermuda Day 2+-2894.jpg, Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Lens
File:Cast-iron lighthouse ILN 1844-0420-0020.jpg, Trial erection in Lambeth, London in 1844
File:GORDON(1863) Lighthouses - BERMUDAS.jpg, Internal diagram
File:A view from Gibbs Hill.jpg, A view from Gibbs Hill, 1857
File:Interior view of Gibbs Hill Lighthouse near the base.jpg, Interior view of Gibbs Hill Lighthouse near the base
File:Interior_view_of_Gibbs_Hill_Lighthouse_showing_cast_iron_wall.jpg, Interior view of Gibbs Hill Lighthouse showing the cast iron plates of the outer wall.
File:Interior view of Gibbs Hill Lighthouse looking up at a ceiling.jpg, Interior view of Gibbs Hill Lighthouse looking up at a ceiling
File:View of the ocean from the top of Gibbs Hill Lighthouse.jpg, View of the ocean from the top of Gibbs Hill Lighthouse
See also
*
List of lighthouses in Bermuda
Sources
*
*
*
References
External links
Department of Marine & Ports Services
{{Authority control
Lighthouses completed in 1844
Lighthouses in Bermuda
Southampton Parish, Bermuda