Sandy Island

Sandy Island is a small (2 acre) island about 6 nautical miles from St. John’s. A submerged coral reef extends on the north, west, and south sides of the island several feet into the sea. The reef and rocks are visible from a distance at low tide.

There has been a lighthouse on the island since 1875, when the Superintendent of Public Works in St. Kitts was recruited build a lighthouse at the entrance to St. John’s Harbour so that mail, passengers, and cargo could be safely landed in St. John’s rather than English Harbour, thus obviating the need to bring goods and people overland across the island.

Because of the sandy base of the island and the constant threat of hurricanes, it was decided to build the structure in the form of an open wooden tripod, broad at the base and narrower at the top, with a wrought-iron lantern chamber at the top. The light was first lit on October 1, 1875. There was also a keeper’s cottage, as well as oil and provision stores.

The original lighthouse was a 16 m (52 ft) triangular wood skeletal tower. After suffering damage from several hurricanes, it was replaced by a more substantial 17 m (56 ft) tower in 1882, also in wood. It was rebuilt again in 1939 as hexagonal skeletal tower with lantern and gallery. A photo from 2006 suggests there was another renovation between 1939 and the most recent rebuild in 2007.

The photo is from a 1939 postcard and shows an elaborate tower, as well as the cottage. Photos from 2006 suggest that there was another rebuild after 1939. The most recent rebuild was in 2007. Photos from 2006 and 2007 can be found at the links below. Each time the tower structure was simplified further until the current barebones version.

http://www.lighthousedigest.com/.../dataphotopage.cfm...

http://listoflights.org/images/leuchtfeuer/gross/J5690.jpg

Source: Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, vol. 63 (1880-1881), Lauchlan Alexander Entwisle Mackinnon, “Sandy Island Lighthouse, Antigua, West Indies.” The report, written by the engineer, describes in construction process for the original lighthouse in great detail.