Cape Point (Old) Light

South Africa

Inactive since 1919. 8 m (27 ft) round cylindrical cast iron tower with lantern and gallery. The upper half of the lighthouse is painted white and the lower half black; the lantern is white with a red dome. The tower was prefabricated in England. Named the Cape of Storms by Bartholomeu Diaz in 1488, the Cape of Good Hope was renamed by the explorer's patrons in Portugal. It is not the southernmost point of Africa; Cape Agulhas has that distinction. Nonetheless, this is one the world's great capes and it has probably the most visited lighthouse in South Africa. The historic original lighthouse is actually atop Cape Maclear, the center and highest of the three headlands at the end of the Cape Peninsula.

At a focal plane of 249 m (816 ft) it proved to be too high, as its light was often blocked by low clouds. The old light station is now "the centralised monitoring point for all the lighthouses on the coast of South Africa," according to the web site of Table Mountain National Park, which includes the entire Cape Point area. It is difficult to image a more spectacular location for a lighthouse. Located about 60 km (40 mi) south of Cape Town beyond the end of Cape Point Road; a paved walkway and stairway and a funicular railway provide access to a viewpoint at the lighthouse. Site and funicular open daily, tower closed.

Manufacture Date	1914
Lighthouse Construction	1860
Country	South Africa
Lens Order	1st order
Lens Type	Revolving
Status	publish
Lighthouse Markings	The upper half of the lighthouse is painted white and the lower half black; the lantern is white with a red dome.
Lighthouse Parts	none
Preserver	South African National Parks (Table Mountain National Park)
Coastal Erosion Vulnerability
Open Status (Site)	Open
Open Status (Tower)	Closed
Coordinates	-34.353831543,18.4902282849
Other	Also Known As: Cape of Good Hope, Cape MacLear (Old) Named the ‘Cape of Storms’ by Bartolomeu Dias in 1488; the ‘Point’ was treated with respect by sailors for centuries. By day, it was a navigational landmark and by night, and in fog, it was a menace beset by violent storms and dangerous rocks that over the centuries littered shipwrecks around the coastline.In 1859 the first lighthouse was completed; it still stands at 238 metres above sea-level on the highest section of the peak and is now used as the centralised monitoring point for all the lighthouses on the coast of South Africa. Access to this historical building is by an exhilarating three-minute ride in the wheelchair-accessible Flying Dutchman funicular that transfers visitors from the lower station at 127 metres above sea-level, to the upper station. The new lighthouse is at a lower elevation (87 meters; 285.5 feet above sea level), for two reasons: the old lighthouse, located at 34°21′12″S 18°29′25.2″E (262 meters; 859.6 feet above sea level), could be seen 'too early' by ships rounding the point towards the east, causing them to approach too closely. Secondly, foggy conditions often prevail at the higher levels, making the older lighthouse invisible to shipping. On 18 April 1911, the Portuguese liner Lusitania was wrecked just south of Cape Point at 34°23′22″S 18°29′23″E on Bellows Rock for precisely this reason, prompting the relocation of the lighthouse. The new lighthouse, located at 34°21′26″S 18°29′49″E, cannot be seen from the West until ships are at a safe distance to the South. The light of the new Cape Point lighthouse is the most powerful on the South African coast, with a range of 63 kilometres (39 mi; 34 nmi) and an intensity of 10 megacandelas in each flash. See also Cape Point (New) Light https://new.opengreenmap.org/browse/sites/62b0c6fa19cfcc010073f562?map=6241b7a8d63fa5010056589b
Data Source	Chance Lighthouses (1856-1917) (61 years)
Inactive Chance Lens Deactivated	1919

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