Punta Delgada Lighthouse

Punta Delgada or Alegranza Lighthouse (Spanish: Faro de Punta Delgada o Faro de Alegranza) is an active 19th century lighthouse on the Spanish island of Alegranza in the Canary islands. Alegranza lies to the north of the larger island of Lanzarote, it is part of the Chinijo Archipelago within the Teguise municipality.

Punta Delgada Lighthouse
View of Alegranza Island
LocationAlegranza, Canary Islands, Spain
Coordinates29.40329°N 13.48855°W / 29.40329; -13.48855
Year first lit1865
Tower shapecylindrical tower
Tower height15 metres (49 ft)
Focal height17 metres (56 ft)
Range12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi)
CharacteristicFl W 3s
Admiralty numberD2772
NGA number113-24076
Managing agentPort Authority of Las Palmas 
HeritageBien de Interés Cultural

History

Punta Delgada was one of the first lighthouses to be completed as part of the original maritime lighting plan for the Canaries. Designed by the engineer Juan de León y Castillo, building began in 1861 and it became operational in 1865.[1][2]

Built in a neo-classical style similar to other Canarian 19th century lighthouses, it consists of a whitewashed single storey building with dark volcanic rock used for the masonry detailing, located on a headland at the eastern end of Alegranza The light is displayed from a lantern room at the top of a 15-metre-high (49 ft) masonry tower, attached to the seaward side of the main building.[3][4][5]

The lighthouse was designed to accommodate the two keepers and their families and has a central courtyard or patio. In the centre of the courtyard is a cistern that collects the rainfall from the roof of the buildings. This was insufficient to cater to the two families due to the low frequency of rainfall on the island, so a well was also built 20 meters from the lighthouse to collect and store water from the mountain.[6]

Both the keeper's house and the tower are part of the architectural heritage of the Canary Islands and were declared a monument of cultural interest Bien de Interés Cultural in 2002 and included in the listing for Las Palmas.[6] The lighthouse is maintained by the Port authority of the Province of Las Palmas. It is registered under the international Admiralty number D2772 and has the NGA identifier of 113-24076.[3][7]

See also

References
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