Lighthouses of France: Haute-Normandie (Eastern Normandy)

Département de l'Eure Lighthouses

Seine River Left Bank Lighthouses

* Quillebeuf-sur-Seine (2) 1862 (station established 1817). Active; focal plane about 11 m (36 ft); continuous white light. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical stucco-clad brick tower with lantern and gallery, unpainted; the lantern is painted green. Werning has a photo, Trabas has a good photo, Wikimedia has a photo by Gérard Janot, Jean-Luc Lemaître has a photo of the lighthouse in the fog, Huelse has a nice postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the south bank of the river in the Place du Phare, at the north end of the quay at Quillebeuf-sur-Seine, about 4 km (2.5 mi) above the Tancarville bridge. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-444; Admiralty A1324. * Pointe de la Roque (Saint-Samson de la Roque) (2) 1850 (station established 1838). Inactive since 1910. 10 m (33 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery, rising from one end of a 2-story keeper's house. Lantern, tower and house roof painted black, house white. Gérard Janot's photo is at right, Werning has a good photo, Lighthouse Explorer has a photo by Xavier Leroy, and Google has a satellite view. The building is boarded up, but it appears to be maintained in good condition. Located atop a steep bluff overlooking the south side of the river near Saint-Samson-de-la-Roque, about 5 km (3 mi) west of the Tancarville bridge and across the river from the Tourelle Ygou (see below). Site open, tower closed. Site manager: unknown. ARLHS FRA-460. * Fatouville 1850. Inactive since 1909. 32 m (105 ft) octagonal stone tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 2-story keeper's house. Werning has a photo, Michel Donnet has a 2009 photo, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a fine satellite view. This elegant lighthouse was sold into private hands and is now operated by a Mme. Durand as a guest house with five suites for overnight accommodations. Located on a hilltop in Fatouville, about 7 km (4 mi) west of Honfleur off the D312 highway. Site open, tower closed. Site manager: Le Phare à Fatouville. ARLHS FRA-282.

Feu de Saint-Samson-de-la-Roque, August 2005 Wikimedia Creative Commons photo by Gérard Janot

Départment de la Seine-Maritime Lighthouses

Seine River Right Bank (Tancarville Area) Lighthouses
Note: Tancarville is a village on the north bank of the Seine about 23 km (14 mi) east of Le Havre.

Tancarville (2)

1847 (station established 1838). Inactive since the 1870s. 10 m (30 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery, rising from one end of a 2-story keeper's house. Lighthouse and entire building painted white. Guyomard and Carceller have a photo, and Google has a good satellite view. Long in use as a private residence, the house has been expanded and altered from its original appearance. Located on a bluff on the north side of the Seine just east of the Tancarville bridge (E-05), about 30 km (19 mi) west of Le Havre. Site and tower closed. Site manager: private. ARLHS FRA-766.

Ygou (Tourelle Ygou) (2?)

1922 (?) (station established in the mid 1800s). Active; focal plane 7 m (23 ft) (?); quick-flashing red light. 13 m (43 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery mounted atop a round solid concrete or stone tower. Skeletal tower painted red. Trabas has a photo, Anna Jenšíková has a 2010 photo, and Google has a satellite view. The focal plane has probably been raised to at least 12 m (39 ft). A brief notation by Fichou provides the date 1922, but the 1858 Brown's Nautical Almanac lists the Tourelle Ygou at the present location with a continuous red light. Located on the north bank of the Seine at the Marais-Vernier wetlands, about 6 km (3.5 mi) west of Tancarville. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. ARLHS FRA-853; Admiralty A1308.

Le Havre Lighthouses
Note: Founded by François I in 1517, Le Havre is the second largest port of France, after Marseille. The city is built on the right (east) bank of the Seine at its mouth. Much of the city had to be rebuilt after it suffered devastating damage during World War II.

* Le Havre Nouvelle Digue Sud (2) 1948 (station established 1906). Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); three very quick green flashes every 2 s. 15 m (49 ft) round cylindrical tower with lantern, gallery, and six buttresses. Tower painted white, lantern green. Trabas has an excellent photo by Douglas Cameron, Werning has a photo showing recent restoration work in progress, and Google has a satellite view. Huelse has a historic postcard view of the original Nouvelle Digue lighthouses, which were destroyed during the fighting after D-Day in 1944. The replacement lights were built on the same design as the originals. Located at the end of the south breakwater at Le Havre; accessible by walking the breakwater. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-165; Admiralty A1264; NGA 8656. * Le Havre Nouvelle Digue Nord (2) 1948 (station established 1906). Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); red flash every 5 s. 15 m (49 ft) round cylindrical tower with lantern, gallery, and six buttresses. Tower painted white, lantern red. Werning's photo is at right, Simon Brown has a good photo, Trabas has a good photo by Thomas Philipp, and Google has a satellite view. Huelse has a historic postcard view of the original Nouvelle Digue lighthouses, which were destroyed during the fighting after D-Day in 1944. Located at the end of the north breakwater at Le Havre; accessible by walking the breakwater. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-164; Admiralty A1262; NGA 8648. #Bassin Théophile Ducrocq Directional Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); white, red or green light, depending on direction, occulting once every 4 s. This was a 13 m (43 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, painted white with a green horizontal band. No photo available, but Google has a good satellite view. Trabas has the photo of the new light, shone from a simple post. Located at the end of a pier on the south side of the harbor, near a petroleum tank farm. Site and tower closed. Admiralty A1274.6; NGA 8700.

Feu de la Nouvelle Digue Nord, Le Havre photo copyright Malte Werning; used by permission

* Quai d'Escale Antérieur (Quai Roger-Meunier) (3)

1971 (station established 1935). Active; focal plane 36 m (118 ft); continuous white light, intensified on the range line. 35 m (115 ft) 12-sided concrete tower with a large lantern structure. Tower is unpainted gray concrete, lantern painted green. Werning has a good photo, Trabas has a photo, Karl Golhen has a photo of the lighthouse and the French Navy helicopter carrier Mistral, and Google has a fine satellite view. This is the entrance range for Le Havre; Nicolas Aubé's view from the sea shows both lights in operation. The Quai d'Escale is one of the major quays of Le Havre, located southeast of the breakwaters; the lighthouse is located adjacent to the city's Cruise Welcome Centre. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-764; Admiralty A1260; NGA 8632.

* Quai d'Escale Postérieur (Quai Joannès-Couvert) (3)

1971 (station established 1935). Active; focal plane 78 m (256 ft); continuous white light, intensified on the range line. 77 m (253 ft) 16-sided concrete tower with lantern. Tower is unpainted gray concrete, lantern painted green. Trabas has a photo, another photo is available, Fichou has a drawing and Google has an excellent satellite view. This is one of the world's tallest aids to navigation. Located on the Avenue Lucien Corbeaux, 1370 m (0.85 mi) east southeast of the front light. Site status unknown, probably open; tower closed. ARLHS FRA-765; Admiralty A1260.1; NGA 8636.

* #Swedish Lightship 28 Falsterborev

1910 (rebuilt 1930-31). Decommissioned 1976. 30.2 m (99 ft) steel lightship with light tower and lantern, painted red. Decommissioned after four decades of service at the Falsterborev station in the Baltic, the ship took on a new career in 1977 as a restaurant in Nieuwpoort, Belgium. It sank at its berth in 1994, but was raised and repaired. After the restaurant closed in 2002, the ship was towed to Le Havre, where plans to reopen it as another restauarant fell through. Iris Klempau spotted the ship in July 2004, moored at the Quai de Brésil, in "very poor condition." Sometime in the night of 17-18 August 2007, the ship sank at its berth again, leaving only the lantern above water; an October 2008 photo is available. It did not appear likely that the ship would be saved. As of May 2012, Google's older satellite view showed the ship still afloat. Site open, ship closed. ARLHS FRA-749.

* Lightship Le Havre III 1935. Decommissioned 1983. 42.5 m (139 ft) steel lightship; cylindrical light tower with lantern amidships. Vessel painted red with bold white vertical stripes on the sides. Karl Golhen has a September 2009 photo, and Google has a satellite view. One of only two surviving French lightships. Before World War II the ship served as the Dunkerque, but from 1949 until its retirement in 1983 it served only the station off Le Havre. In 2004-05 the ship was drydocked and restored at a cost of 120,000 euros. It looks great in an April 2006 photo. Moored off the Quai Frissard in the historic Bassin Vauban in Le Havre. Site open, vessel status unknown; the maritime museum has been closed for renovation since 2005. Site manager: Musée Maritime et Portuaire du Havre. ARLHS FRA-670. * Passe Ancienne Feu Postérieur Date unknown. Active; focal plane 43 m (141 ft); continuous red light intensified on the range line. 41 m (135 ft) square cylindrical tower on the roof of an 8-story apartment building. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. There is probably no view of the light tower from the street. The front light is on a pylon somewhere near the yacht harbor (Anse des Regates). Located on the south side of the Rue Paul Doumer, near the southwest corner of the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville in Le Havre. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty A1261.1; NGA 8644. * Cap de la Hève (2) 1951 (station established 1775). Active; focal plane 123 m (404 ft); white flash every 5 s. 32 m (105 ft) octagonal concrete tower with an 8-sided observation room, lantern, and gallery, attached to 1-story concrete block service and control building. The tower is unpainted white concrete; lantern painted red. Wikimedia has the photo at right and additional photos, Trabas has a closeup photo, Werning has a good photo, and Google has an excellent satellite view. This is the landfall light for Le Havre and the Seine, and thus one of France's most important light stations. Lights were displayed here as early as the 14th century. In 1775 elegant twin lighthouses 17 m (56 ft) high were built atop the cliffs. These lighthouses were the first in France to be electrified; the south tower was lit in 1863 with electricity generated by a steam engine. In 1893 the south light was deactivated and its lantern replaced by a square room, as seen in Huelse's historic postcard view of the lighthouses. The historic towers were destroyed by Allied artillery during fighting at Le Havre in 1944. Located on the cape, on the north side of the entrance to Le Havre and the Seine estuary, about 5 km (3 mi) northwest of the Le Havre waterfront. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-223; Admiralty A1256; NGA 8628.

Phare de la Hève, Le Havre, August 2008 Wikimedia Creative Commons photo by Kamel15

Fécamp and St.-Valéry-en-Caux Lighthouses

* Antifer Feu Antérieur

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 113 m (371 ft); white light occulting once every 4 s. 7 m (23 ft) concrete post light with a large round lantern room on one side of the post. Trabas has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located in a filed near the edge of the cliffs off the Rue des Tulipes, about 6 km (4 mi) southwest of the Cap d'Antifer lighthouse. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty A1250.2; NGA 8727.

* Antifer Feu Postérieur

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 124 m (407 ft); white light occulting once every 4 s. 13 m (43 ft) concrete post light with a large round lantern room on one side of the post. Trabas has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. The front light is on a shorter post 430 m (1/4 mi) northeast, near the edge of the cliffs (the front light can be seen in this photo at highest magnification). Located at a right-angled bend of the Rue des Tulipes, about 6 km (4 mi) southwest of the Cap d'Antifer lighthouse. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty A1250.21; NGA 8727.1.

* Cap d'Antifer (2)

1955 (station established 1894). Active; focal plane 128 m (420 ft); white flash every 20 s. 38 m (125 ft) octagonal concrete tower with 8 ribs, lantern and gallery. Tower is unpainted gray concrete, lantern and gallery painted green. Modern 1-story keeper's house. A photo is at the top of this page, Trabas has a photo, Werning also has a photo, a 2009 photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. The original lighthouse, a 26 m (85 ft) masonry tower, was destroyed by retreating German forces on 29 August 1944; Huelse has posted a lovely postcard view of this lighthouse. Located atop the cliffs west of Étretat, the same cliffs made famous by some 20 paintings of Monet (painted in 1885, before there was a lighthouse). Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-220; Admiralty A1250; NGA 8740.

* Fécamp Digue Sud (4) About 1952 (station established 1859). Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); quick-flashing green light. 10 m (33 ft) semielliptical concrete tower; no lantern. The tower, a twin of the north pier light, is unpainted gray concrete. Werning has a good photo, Trabas has a photo, Yves Jouquan has a photo showing both Fécamp lighthouses, and Google has a satellite view. The 1901 lighthouse was destroyed during World War II; Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Michel Forand has a closeup postcard view. Located at the end of the south pier in Fécamp; accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-163; Admiralty A1246; NGA 8756. * Fécamp Digue Nord (4) About 1952 (station established 1805). Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 14 m (46 ft) semielliptical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Tower is unpainted gray concrete, lantern and gallery painted red. Fog horn (two blasts every 30 s). Emmanuel Blum's photo is at right, Trabas has a good photo by Ronald Wöhrn, Yves Jouquan has a photo showing both Fécamp lighthouses, and Google has a satellite view. The harbor of Fécamp, partially protected by the sheer headland of Cap Fagnet, faces to the west rather than the north. The 1899 lighthouse was destroyed during World War II; Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Michel Forand has a different postcard view. Located at the end of the north pier in Fécamp; accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-162; Admiralty A1244; NGA 8752. * Cap Fagnet (Fécamp, Pointe Fagnet) 1836. Inactive since 1901. This was originally a 15 m (50 ft) square stone tower rising from the center of a 1-story stone keeper's house. The light had a focal plane of 130 m (426 ft) and was often obscured by fog. The lighthouse was converted to a signal station in 1904, and during World War II a large square observation room was added. The tower is now about 21 m (70 ft) tall, not counting a communications tower added in recent years. Guyomard and Carceller have a photo, a 2008 closeup is available, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the Route du Phare atop a steep bluff on the north side of Fécamp. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-756. * St.-Valéry-en-Caux (Jetée de l'Ouest) (3) 1882 (station established 1805). Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); two green flashes every 6 s. 12 m (39 ft) round masonry tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern and gallery painted green. Trabas has a good photo, Guyomard and Carceller have photos, another good photo is available, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the west jetty in St.-Valéry-en-Caux, about 50 km (30 mi) east of Fécamp and the same distance west of Dieppe. Accessible by walking the jetty. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-152; Admiralty A1238; NGA 8760.

Feu de la Digue Nord, Fécamp, May 2010 Creative Commons photo by Emmanuel Blum

Dieppe and Le Tréport Lighthouses

*** Pointe d'Ailly (3) 1953 (station established 1775; inactive 1940-1944). Active; focal plane 95 m (312 ft); three quick white flashes, separated by 4 s, every 20 s. 27 m (89 ft) square cylindrical cement block tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 1-story keeper's house. Jon Page's photo is at right, Guyomard and Carceller have closeup photos of this handsome light station, Trabas has a good photo by Arno Siering, François Auzou also has a good photo, Wikimedia has a photo by Félix Potuit, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a satellite view. The Pointe d'Ailly is a picturesque but rapidly eroding headland, famous from a Monet painting. The original lighthouse, a beautiful square masonry tower seen in Michel Forand's postcard view, was replaced by an elegant octagonal tower in 1890 because erosion was bringing the cliff close to the station. Huelse has a postcard view showing both the 1775 and 1890 lighthouses. Retreating German forces blew up the 1899 lighthouse on 30 August 1944. Allied forces then rigged a temporary light to the top of the 1775 tower, which was by then at the brink of the cliff, and had the light in operation for New Year's Eve, 31 December 1944. The Service des Phares et Balises has a photo of the temporary light. The old tower continued in operation to 1958 and finally collapsed over the cliff in 1964. The present lighthouse is about 400 m (1/4 mi) southwest of the point and 300 m from the edge of the cliff. Located near Sainte-Marguerite-sur-Mer, about 16 km (10 mi) west of Dieppe. Site open, lighthouse open for tours during July and August. ARLHS FRA-012; Admiralty A1234; NGA 8768. * Dieppe Jetée de l'Ouest (5?) Date unknown (station established 1787). Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); green light, 2 s on, 2 s off. 7 m (23 ft) square tower with lantern and gallery, attached to 1-story service building. The tower appears to be built from prefabricated reinforced concrete panels in a style suggesting the late 1950s or early 1960s. Trabas has an excellent closeup photo, a 2009 photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Huelse has a historic postcard view of the fourth (?) tower, a cast iron tourelle installed in 1915. Michel Forand has a second postcard view of the 1915 lighthouse and a postcard view of the 1834 masonry lighthouse. Presumably the 1915 tower did not survive World War II. Located at the end of the west jetty in Dieppe, which also serves as the main breakwater. Accessible by walking the jetty. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-263; Admiralty A1230; NGA 8776. [Dieppe Jetée de l'Est (3)] Date unknown (station establish 1834). Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); red light, 2 s on, 2 s off. 10 m (33 ft) mast, painted red. Guyomard and Carceller have Christophe Toullec's photo of the present light, Trabas also has a photo, and Google has a satellite view of the site. The cast iron tourelle seen in the Lighthouse Explorer photo was installed in 1903 and relocated in 1913 when the jetty was extended. It was removed sometime in the 1980s. Located at the end of the east jetty of Dieppe. Site status unknown. ARLHS FRA-262; Admiralty A1228; NGA 8788.

Phare d'Ailly, Sainte-Marguerite-sur-Mer, May 2007 Flickr Creative Commons photo by Jon S. Page

* Falaise du Pollet

About 1950. Active; focal plane 35 m (115 ft); quick-flashing white light. 4 m (13 ft) square concrete "pillbox," the light shown through a square opening. Structure painted white with a red rectangle surrounding the window. This light replaced a rear range light that was displayed from the steeple of the Chapelle de Bon Secours; Guyomard and Carceller have a photo that shows the current light in front of the church, Trabas has a closeup photo, another photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the bluff above Dieppe harbor, about 100 m (330 ft) southwest of the church. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-851; Admiralty A1233; NGA 8784.

* Dieppe Alignement (feu postérieur) (1) Date unknown (between 1935 and 1948). Inactive. Light displayed from the steeple of the Chapelle de Notre Dame de Bon Secours. Another photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. The range has been discontinued, and a single light is now displayed from a small concrete structure in front of the church (previous entry). Located on a bluff looming above Dieppe harbor, at the end of the Chemin du Sémaphore. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-849. * Le Tréport Jetée de l'Ouest (4) 1905 (station established before 1807). Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); two green flashes every 10 s. 14 m (46 ft) round cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery. Most of the tower is painted white; the lantern, gallery and the top of the tower are painted dark green. A 2-story service building is adjacent to the lighthouse; a fog bell is mounted on the roof. François de l'Être's photo is at right, Trabas has posted an excellent photo, Loïc Leuliette has another good photo, Wikimedia has photos, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. The original lighthouse was replaced in 1836 and again in 1865; Michel Forand has a postcard view of the 1865 lighthouse. Located at the end of the short west jetty in the fishing port of Le Tréport. Accessible by walking the jetty. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FRA-523; Admiralty A1222; NGA 8792. Irish Lightship in Paris ** Irish Lightship Batofar (née Osprey) 1955 (Philip & Son Ltd., Dartmouth, England). Deactivated 1975. 36.3 m (119 ft) steel lightship; octagonal skeletal light tower with lantern and gallery amidships. Vessel painted red. Caitríona King has a good photo and a view from across the river, Michael Malloy has a March 2009 photo, and Google has a satellite view. We need information on the ship's active career. In 1975 it was deactivated and sold to the New Ross Harbour Commission, which used it as a floating oil berth and pilot station. In 1998 it was sold to French owners, towed to Paris, renamed Batofar, and opened as a discothèque. Moored opposite no. 11 Quai François Mauriac in Paris, on the left bank of the Seine just below the Pont de Tolbiac. Site open, ship open nightly. Site manager: Batofar. ARLHS FRA-822.

Feu de la Jetée de l'Ouest, Tréport, July 2006 Flickr Creative Commons photo by François de l'Être

Information available on lost lighthouses:

• Berville-sur-Mer (Rivière Risle) (1869-1940s), south side Seine estuary, Eure. The lighthouse was not replaced after World War II. ARLHS FRA-672.
• Hodé (Saint-Vigor-d'Ymonville) (1838-1970s), north side Seine estuary, Seine-Maritime. The lighthouse was discontinued in 1882; its ruins were removed sometime after 1968. ARLHS FRA-778.
• Le Havre Jetée Nord (1791-1906). A second postcard view shows the lighthouse after most of the jetty had been removed. (Both views show the 1843 tower.) ARLHS FRA-775.
• Le Havre Jetée Sud (1840-1906). Another cast iron tourelle. The Jetée Nord and Jetée Sud lights were replaced in 1906 by the Nouvelle Digue lights (see above). ARLHS FRA-776.
• St.-Valéry-en-Caux Jetée de l'Est (Jetée d'Amont) (1857-1960), Seine-Maritime, halfway between Dieppe and Fécamp. Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Michel Forand has a closer postcard view. Both views show the 1914 lighthouse, which was destroyed during World War II. There is a post light on the jetty today. ARLHS FRA-502.

Notable faux lighthouses:

•  Cloche des Dockers (1911), Quai du Brésil, Le Havre. Often mistaken for a lighthouse, this is a bell tower that sounded shift changes for dockworkers. The bells were discontinued in 1964.

Adjoining pages: East: Pas de Calais | West: Basse-Normandie

Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key

Posted July 6, 2006. Checked and revised May 28, 2012. Lighthouses: 24; lightships: 3. Site copyright 2012 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.