Needham's Point Lighthouse is a lighthouse located in the southwest coast of
Barbados.
Needham's Point lighthouse is one of four still existent historic
lighthouse
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 ...
s in
Barbados. Unlike the others it has a stationary rather than rotating beacon.
History
The octagonal lighthouse was constructed in 1855 at the southern end of
Carlisle Bay. It is currently non-functional and partially restored by the Hilton Hotel which owns the lighthouse and surrounding grounds. Because of the proximity of a large block of rooms, the lighthouse can only be seen from the beach to the south of the hotel.
During its period of active use the lighthouse's focal plane stood at 43 ft / 13 m and flashed at an 8-second interval.
Owing to the stationary nature of the lights the lighthouse lens was half red and half green to allow sailors to know whether they were port or
starboard
Port and starboard are nautical terms for watercraft and aircraft, referring respectively to the left and right sides of the vessel, when aboard and facing the bow (front).
Vessels with bilateral symmetry have left and right halves which are ...
side of Carlisle Bay.
Barbados Pocket Guide : Lighthouses
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See also
* List of lighthouses in Barbados
References
Lighthouses in Barbados
Lighthouses completed in 1855
Saint Michael, Barbados
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