Durban - The old picture this week is an early postcard of Durban’s original lighthouse on the Bluff which has a long and somewhat chequered history.
The first lighthouse built on the east coast of Africa, the original tower was of prefabricated cast iron. The foundation stone was laid in 1864 by Governor John Scott. According to local historian Graham Leslie McCalllum, materials had to be ferried with difficulty from the Point, across the Bay, landed at West’s and then hauled up the steep path that led to the top of the Bluff. It took three years to complete and was opened by provincial administrator Colonel V Bisset in 1867.
It stood almost 25m, with a domed roof above the lantern which was crowned with a ball finial. It appears to have always been painted white. The light was positioned at about the 21m mark. From shoreline to this point was 86m above high water and in clear weather, it could be observed from a ship’s deck 40km out at sea. It was erected by Peter Paterson, the Natal colonial engineer. An earlier flag signalling mast stood next to the lighthouse which, in clear weather, could communicate with ships at sea.
The light saw unbroken service until July 1922. Then, its mechanism was replaced by a petroleum vapour burner mounted on a mercury bath pedestal with clockwork drive. In 1932, it was replaced by an electrically powered light.
An earth tremor upset the mercury bath in 1932 and the old vapour lamp was temporarily recommissioned. The foundations were exposed to check for damage and the base found to be corroded. Lighthouse engineer Harry Claude Cooper decided to encase the tower in an octagonal reinforced concrete structure, the lighthouse thereafter having the unique distinction of taking his name. Lighthouses are usually named after the bluffs or points on which they stand.
Artillery practice guns were fired at its base in 1938 and the tower suitably secured. However, with the advent of World War II, the strategic position could not accommodate both lighthouse and gun emplacements, so the decision was taken to demolish the lighthouse, the last light being on October 15, 1940. In June 1941, its superstructure was demolished and the base retained for artillery, which is all that remains of it today, as photographer Shelley Kjonstad’s pictures show. Its ruins remain within sight of the new Millennium Tower which was built in 2002.
The Bluff lighthouse was replaced by two lighthouses ‒ The Cooper Lighthouse on top of the Bluff at Brighton Beach, which opened in July 1953, and the uMhlanga Rocks Lighthouse in 1954. Both are identical, except for the colour of the towers and the character of their lights.
The Cooper Lighthouse has a focal plane of 133m and a white flash every 10 seconds. It is 21m high in a round cylindrical concrete tower, painted red with a white horizontal band. The modern lighthouse is about 5km south-west of the original position, on Marine Drive.
The uMhlanga Lighthouse has a focal plane of 24m, with three white flashes every 20 seconds. The upper quarter of the lighthouse, including the lantern and gallery, is painted red; the lower parts are white.
The Independent on Saturday