Sombrero Lighthouse is a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

that marks the

Anegada Passage The Anegada Passage , also known as the Anegada Trough, is a strait in the Caribbean that separates the British Virgin Islands and the British ruled Sombrero Island of Anguilla, and connects the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean. It is 2300 m d ...

, which is the route from

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

into the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

. The lighthouse is located near the centre of

Sombrero In English, a , ; ) is a type of wide-brimmed Mexican men's hat used to shield the face and eyes from the sun. It usually has a high, pointed crown; an extra-wide brim (broad enough to cast a shadow over the head, neck, and shoulders of the w ...

island, and reaches a height of almost above sea level.

History

The first lighthouse, built by the American company that extracted the

phosphate Phosphates are the naturally occurring form of the element phosphorus. In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthop ...

on the island, came into operation 1 January 1868. It consisted of a circular pyramidal skeletal tower, on concrete base, with balcony and lantern; by 1893 it was managed by the

British Board of Trade The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for Business and Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of a ...

. In 1931, the old light system was changed and improved to 200,000 candle power and the tower received its first major repair when the basement was encased in concrete. In 1960

Hurricane Donna Hurricane Donna, known in Puerto Rico as Hurricane San Lorenzo, was the strongest hurricane of the 1960 Atlantic hurricane season, and caused severe damage to the Lesser Antilles, the Greater Antilles, and the East Coast of the United States, ...

damaged the lighthouse; a new one replaced it 20 July 1962. The second light was a square pyramidal skeletal tower high with central cylinder mounted on a concrete base. The lighthouses were staffed from 1868 to 2001. In 2001

Trinity House The Corporation of Trinity House of Deptford Strond, also known as Trinity House (and formally as The Master, Wardens and Assistants of the Guild Fraternity or Brotherhood of the most glorious and undivided Trinity and of St Clement in the ...

donated and installed the current automated tower, which is a cylindrical tower painted white with balcony and no lantern. The light is positioned at above sea level and emits Light characteristic#Class of light, one white flash in a 10 seconds period visible up to a distance of . Since 1 December 2001 Anguilla's Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources has been responsible for the maintenance of the navigational aids.

References

External links

Sombrero cultural heritage
{{Authority control Lighthouses in Anguilla Lighthouses completed in 1868

History

See also

References

External links