{{Short description|Lighthouse on Grand Turk Island, Turks and Caicos Islands}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox lighthouse | name = Grand Turk Lighthouse | image = Historic Lighthouse Park on Grand Turk.jpg | image_width = | caption = Grand Turk Lighthouse | location = Grand Turk Island<br />Turks and Caicos Islands | coordinates = {{coord|21.511677|-71.133602|display=inline,title}} | yearbuilt = 1852 | yearlit = | automated = 1972 | yeardeactivated = | foundation = | construction = cast iron tower | shape = tapered cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern | marking = white tower and lantern | height = {{convert|18|m|ft}} | focalheight = {{convert|33|m|ft}} | lens = Fresnel lens | intensity = | range = {{convert|18|nmi}} | characteristic = Fl W 7.5s. | fogsignal = | racon = | country = | countrynumber = | countrylink = [http://www.tcmuseum.org/landmarks/grand_turk_lighthouse/ Official site] | managingagent = Turks and Caicos National Trust<ref>{{Cite rowlett|tca|accessdate=2016-04-21}}</ref> }}
'''Grand Turk Lighthouse''' is a lighthouse on Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands. The {{convert|60|ft|m|-tall|adj=mid}} structure, overlooking North Creek, was completed by British architect Alexander Gordon in 1852 to alert sailors of the shallow reef. Brighter kerosene lamps and a more powerful Fresnel lens were added by the Chance brothers in 1943 and remained in use until 1972 when the lighthouse was electrified. Today, the lighthouse and lighthouse keeper's house are a historic site under the protection of the National Trust.
==Location== The structure is located on Lighthouse Road on the coast of Grand Turk. It is situated on a small limestone hill overlooking the shallow reef that extends from the northern end of the island.<ref name=reef>{{Cite web|url=http://www.reefnews.com/reefnews/oceangeo/grndturk/gt_lght.html|title= Grand Turk's Imperial Lighthouse|accessdate=15 June 2013|publisher=Reefnews geography}}</ref> The building and an attached kerosene storage house<ref name=hmdb.org /> overlook North Creek. This creek is said to closely resemble the description that Christopher Columbus gave for the first island he stumbled upon in the search of the New World in 1492.<ref name="TC">{{cite web|url=http://www.turksandcaicostourism.com/activities-grand-turk.html|title=Grand Turk Lighthouse|publisher=Turksandcaicostourism.com|accessdate=14 June 2013|archive-date=29 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130629082130/http://www.turksandcaicostourism.com/activities-grand-turk.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Donkey trails lead from the lighthouse to the beach beneath the bluff.<ref name="Fodor's2010" /> Mangrove trees on the coast nearby help prevent erosion by retaining the sand.<ref name=reef/>
==History== A Mr. Frith secured the building of the island's first modern lighthouse in 1852, saving the island's salt trade, which had waned when vessels stopped arriving due to difficulty with navigation.<ref name="Sadler1981">{{cite book|last=Sadler|first=H. E.|title=Turks Islands landfall|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q3ZqAAAAMAAJ|year=1981|publisher=H.E. Sadler|page=19}}</ref> It was designed by the architect Alexander Gordon to alert sailors of the shallow reef.<ref name="LD">{{cite web|url=http://www.lighthousedigest.com/Digest/StoryPage.cfm?StoryKey=2661|title=THE SALTY SIDE OF THE GRAND TURK LIGHTHOUSE|publisher=Lighthouse Digest|date=June 2007|accessdate=14 June 2013}}</ref> Constructed in the United Kingdom, it was shipped in pieces to the island.<ref name="Fodor's2010">{{cite book|title=Turks & Caicos Islands|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dgrdOy3ZfTcC&pg=PT32|date=28 December 2010|publisher=Fodor's Travel Publications|isbn=978-0-307-92805-4|pages=32–}}</ref> In its heyday, a lighthouse keeper stayed all night at the lighthouse to monitor the lamps and slept during the day in the small keeper's house at the side.<ref name="RN"/>
The still functional lighthouse<ref name=Light/> site is often referred to as Grand Turk Historic Lighthouse Park. The lighthouse and lighthouse keeper's house are a historic site under the protection of the National Trust. A view point for watching whales<ref name=Light>{{Cite web|url=http://www.turksandcaicostourism.com/activities-grand-turk.html|title=Grand Turk Lighthouse|accessdate=15 June 2013|publisher=Official website of Turks and Caicos Tourism Department|archive-date=29 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130629082130/http://www.turksandcaicostourism.com/activities-grand-turk.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> tourists come to lighthouse hill in February and March.<ref name="TC"/>
==Description== The lighthouse is a white-washed structure made of cast-iron, measuring {{convert|60|ft}}. It initially had eight small Argand oil lamps, with reflectors magnifying the light by 450 times, driven by weights and machinery.<ref name="LD"/> The reflectors were constructed by Devill & Company of London in 1851. As the original lamps were not powerful, on dark, turbulent nights they could often not be seen, which led to shipwrecks off the coast even after the lighthouse had been established.<ref name="RN">{{cite web|url=http://www.reefnews.com/reefnews/oceangeo/grndturk/gt_lght.html|title=Grand Turk's Imperial Lighthouse|publisher=Reef News|accessdate=14 June 2013}}</ref> Brighter kerosene lamps and a more powerful Fresnel lens were added by the Chance Brothers of Birmingham, England<ref name=hmdb.org>{{cite web|title=Grand Turk Historic Lighthouse|url=http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=40367|publisher=Historical Marker Database}}</ref> in 1943 which improved the situation.<ref name="LD"/> In 1972, the lighthouse was electrified and provides a bright beacon light to guide ships.<ref name=reef/><ref name="RN"/> The original lens is now on display in the Turks and Caicos National Museum.<ref name="Frommer's2012">{{cite book|author=Frommer's|title=AARP Caribbean|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eSQoi_9_waEC&pg=PT701|accessdate=14 June 2013|date=29 May 2012|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-118-26665-6|page=701}}</ref> The guard rail at the top is rusting due to age from the elements. The guard's house is where the guard would keep awake in the night to refill oil and kerosene lamps so that they would not get extinguished due to lack of oil. This house has small windows, likely designed to restrict light entering the building so that the guard could sleep more peacefully during full daylight.<ref name=reef/><ref name="RN"/>
==See also== {{Portal|Caribbean|Engineering}} * List of lighthouses in the Turks and Caicos Islands
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Grand Turk Lighthouse}}
*[http://tcmuseum.org/culture-history/landmarks/ Official site]
{{Authority control}}
Category:Lighthouses completed in 1852 Category:Lighthouses in the Turks and Caicos Islands Category:Grand Turk Island Category:1852 establishments in the British Empire