Phare de Grave, Lighthouse on the Gironde estuary in Le Verdon-sur-Mer, France
The Phare de Grave is a square masonry tower painted white with exposed-stone quoins, its upper section painted black and topped by a dark gallery-mounted lantern room with a glazed cupola. Four rectangular windows are aligned vertically on the front face, the lowest opening being a wooden door with a rounded top. The tower adjoins a U-shaped masonry building with matching quoins, and a 107-step staircase leads to the lantern platform.
A provisional reflector light was set on scaffolding in 1823 while a masonry tower was built from 1825. Successive towers were destroyed by marine erosion, and the 1860 lighthouse, built in nine months, still marks the Pointe de Grave. It was electrified in 1937 and automated in 1955, and was inscribed as a monument historique on 6 November 2009.
The lighthouse stands beside the museum of the Cordouan lighthouse and of Phares et Balises, housed in the adjoining buildings. The tower has kept its white fixed light with occultations every 5 seconds since the 1860 reconstruction, still signalling the tip of Grave. It has been listed as a monument historique since 6 November 2009.
The lighthouse stands on the Pointe de Grave, on the south side of the Gironde estuary mouth in Le Verdon-sur-Mer. Its lantern platform is reached by a staircase of 107 steps. The tower can be visited, mainly during the summer. The museum of the Cordouan lighthouse and of Phares et Balises occupies the adjoining premises.
The lighthouse stands on the Pointe de Grave, on the south side of the Gironde estuary mouth in the commune of Le Verdon-sur-Mer. Its tower is attached to a U-shaped masonry building with exposed stone quoins. The museum of the Cordouan lighthouse and of Phares et Balises occupies the adjoining premises.
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