Green Point Lighthouse and Mouille Point Lighthouse
Green Point Lighthouse was commissioned by Sir Rufane Shaw Donkin, the acting Governor of the Cape Colony. German architect Herman Shutte, who arrived in the Cape in 1790 as a sculptor, was responsible for the design.
Construction of the lighthouse started in 1821 but faced challenges. The official Governor, Lord Charles Somerset, had not been consulted, causing a temporary halt. Despite this, the lighthouse was completed in 1823.
After some violent storms in 1741, The Dutch East India Company decided to move their ships to Simon’s Town for the winter months. They also began to build a breakwater at Granger Bay, however, the project failed due to the work consistently being swept away by the rough seas and the project was abandoned. However, in 1781 the French managed to build a breakwater in 1746 and called it Mouille Point which is French for “anchorage.
Mouille Point lighthouse is often confused with the Green Point lighthouse. It is also often assumed that the names are interchangeable. However, there are 2 separate lighthouses. Greenpoint Lighthouse was the first of the two to be built in South Africa. Greenpoint Lighthouse was first lit on 12 April 1824. The building was made taller in 1865 its present height is 16 meters (52 feet). It was the first solid lighthouse structure on the South African coast and is the oldest operational lighthouse in the country. Originally, the lantern and dome were painted in yellow and black stripes. it was repainted in 1956. When it was first operational, the lighthouse was equipped with Argand lamps, which burned sperm whale oil, a common fuel source in the 19th century.
In 1922, 3rd order dioptric flashing lights were installed, extending the lighthouse’s range to 22 nautical miles about 41 kilometres. Today, the lighthouse emits a powerful white light that flashes every 10 seconds, with an intensity of 850,000 candela, it is visible for up to 25 nautical miles
Staircase inside Greenpoint Lighthouse
Light mechanism
. The lighthouse also included a foghorn that sounded for three seconds every 30 seconds. Locals called it Moaning Minnie. The foghorn was replaced in 1986 with an electric horn.
Mouille Point was the second lighthouse of the two built in 1842. This one did not stand up to the weather at the “Cape of Storms” and it was dismantled sometime in the 1920s. The Lighthouse in Mouille Point, according to tradition, could not have the same name as the previous one, so it was named Green Point Lighthouse.
Greenpoint lighthouse is said to be haunted by a one-legged lighthouse keeper. There was a lighthouse keeper by the name of WS West, who was nicknamed “Daddy West” however he mysteriously disappeared. His voice it is claimed echoes along the walls at night.
A completely new lighthouse was then planned in 1865. An 11-meter-tall plastered brick tower was built and an octagonal lantern was imported from France. The cylindrical tower was painted with red and white bands. The light used 730 gallons of sheep tail oil every year. This oil was stored in a 4 m deep hollow foundation within the bedrock.
This lighthouse was also somewhat inefficient, and the Lighthouse Commission recommended it be switched off in 1890 when the Granger Bay breakwater was completed. A beacon was placed here, which was also decommissioned in 1906. It was partially demolished a few years later.
Greenpoint Lighthouse circa 1920”
What remains of the structure is the circular base with a concrete slab over it. During the Second World War, it was used as a searchlight platform. It can be seen within the grounds of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (Granger Bay Campus) and it is used to store gardening equipment. The structure is on private property, but access is possible.
The Green Point lighthouse is a national heritage site open to the public for a fee. Contact 021 449 5171 to book.
Even after Green Point lighthouse was commissioned ships still wrecked at the entrance to Table Bay.
100 Beach Road, Mouille Point, Cape Town
33°53’57.1″S 18°24’42.0″E
