Les Hanois Lighthouse

Les Hanois stands on a rock off Guernsey's southwestern corner, a granite tower completed in 1862 on a reef that had wrecked ships for centuries, and it was built with dovetailed interlocking blocks, a technique developed here and used afterwards on rock lighthouses everywhere. It was automated in 1996. The best view is from the Pleinmont cliff path, with the tower standing out in the swell. Before it was built the reef was known for taking ships that mistook the passage, and a long run of wrecks, from HMS Boreas in 1807 to the timber ship Emmanuel in 1848, finally forced the decision to light it.

History

Wrecks on the reef included the Royal Navy's HMS Boreas in 1807 and the Copenhagen merchant ship Marie Elizabeth in 1816, but in 1817 Trinity House judged a light unnecessary; more losses in 1820, 1834, 1835 and 1848 changed its mind. After an inspection in July 1858 the Bisé rock was chosen over the better-placed Mauve because it could be landed on in most seas. The tower, designed by James Walker, was built of Cornish granite dressed on the castle pier at St Peter Port, under the resident engineer William Douglass; his father Nicholas suggested dovetailing every stone to its neighbours, the first use of a method later adopted for lighthouses on sea rocks. The foundation stone was laid on 14 August 1860 and the light first shone on 8 December 1862. A helicopter pad was added on top in 1979, and the lighthouse was automated and its keepers withdrawn in January 1996 (Wikipedia, Les Hanois Lighthouse).

What's there

• The granite tower - the 1862 lighthouse on its reef.
• The dovetailed blocks - the interlocking technique first used here.
• The reef - the rocks that made the light necessary.
• The cliff view - the tower seen from the Pleinmont path.

When to go

April to October is the season for the cliff paths. Clear days show the tower best from land. Winter storms make the headland dangerous.

Practical notes

There is no landing and the lighthouse can only be seen from the cliff or from a boat. It is a good distance offshore, so binoculars help. The cliff path is exposed.

Nearby

Pleinmont is the viewpoint, and Fort Grey is north.

Key facts