The West
coast of
Guernsey was
known for
its
treacherous
reefs. By
the early
19th century
the
increasing
number of
shipwrecks
made it
clear that
there was an
urgent need
for a
navigation
light on
this rocky
coast.
Representations
were first
made to
Trinity
House in
1816, but it
was over 40
years before
a lighthouse
was built on
the rock
known as Le
Biseau, part
of Les
Hanois reef,
one mile
north west
of Pleinmont
Point.
The first
cargo of
Cornish
stone
arrived in
the island
in early
1860. The
stone was
dressed by
Cornish
craftsmen at
the Castle
Cornet
emplacement
to a new
design by
James
Douglass.
This
involved
shaping each
stone to a
dovetail
with its
neighbour
laterally
and
vertically,
this was the
first of
it's kind
which became
standard for
all British
built sea
towers.
Each stone
weighed 3-4
tons and was
taken to the
rock by
barge. Gangs
of 14-16 men
worked on
the rock in
14 day
shifts. Work
often had to
be stopped
because of
high seas;
on one
occasion
five men
were swept
off the rock
and almost
drowned. The
men were
accommodated
in Fort
Grey. During
bad weather
they built
the Trinity
House
cottages at
Pleinmont.
The
lighthouse
stands one
hundred feet
high with a
diameter of
thirty two
feet. The
first
official
lighting was
on 8th
December
1862; a red
revolving
light,
powered by
an
incandescent
oil burner,
producing a
bright flash
every 45
seconds.
The present
light is
generated by
an electric
powered
10000 watt
lamp,
surrounded
by a
rotating
optic, which
gives a
light range
of 23 miles.
The light is
white and
flashes
twice every
five
seconds. In
1995 the
Hanois was
converted
from diesel
to fully
automatic
solar power.
Prior to
this, two
3-man crews
each worked
a 28 day
shift on the
light.
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