Lighthouses of Guyana

Guyana is an independent nation located on the north coast of South America just east of Venezuela. Colonized initially by the Dutch, it was conquered by the British during the Napoleonic Wars and became the colony of British Guiana in 1831. The country gained its independence in 1966. Georgetown, the national capital and major port, is also the site of the country's one traditional lighthouse. New Amsterdam is the second international port. Aids to navigation in Guyana are presumably operated by the Guyana Transport and Harbours Department. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume J of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA numbers are from Publication 110. General Sources Online List of Lights - Guyana Photos by various photographers posted by Alex Trabas. Leuchttürme Südamerikas auf historischen Postkarten Historic postcard views posted by Klaus Huelse. Lighthouses Georgetown Range Rear Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); white flash every 5 s. 17 m (56 ft) skeletal tower, painted white, mounted on a square platform supported by piles. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on the west side of the entrance to the Demerara River. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J6843.1; NGA 17300. *** Georgetown (2) 1830 (station established 1817). Active; focal plane 31.5 m (103 ft); flash every 60 s, red or white depending on direction. 30 m (98 ft) octagonal stone tower with lantern and gallery, painted with red and white vertical stripes. A photo by Amanda Richards is at right, Jane Peters has also posted a good photo, Angelina Archer has a photo of the light in action, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. Nigel Currant's August 2011 photo shows the lighthouse freshley repainted. The lighthouse is a principal tourist attraction in Georgetown, the nation's capital. In 2003, a team from the Smithsonian Institution cleaned and restored the clockwork mechanism that rotates the lens. Located at the end of Water Street, marking the east side of the mouth of the Demerara River. Site open, tower open but we have no information on the schedule. ARLHS GUY-001; Admiralty J6841; NGA 17292.

Georgetown Light, Georgetown, April 2012 Flickr Creative Commons photo by Amanda Richards

Clonbrook Date unknown. Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); yellow flash every 30 s. 26 m (85 ft) skeletal tower, painted yellow, rising from a white base. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on the Atlantic coast about 25 km (15 mi) southeast of Georgetown. Site status unknown. Admiralty J6852; NGA 17312. [Berbice River] Date unknown (lightship station established 1902). This light is listed as a 12 m (39 ft) skeletal tower on a wood platform. NGA notes that the light was reported extinguished in 1996, and Capt. Peter Mosselberger's photo shows that only stubs of the pilings remain. Located about 10 km (6 mi) north northeast of the mouth of the river. Admiralty J6854; NGA 17320. Berbice Entrance Range Front (2) Around 2011. Active; focal plane about 16 m (52 ft); quick-flashing white light. Approx. 16 m (52 ft) square skeletal tower mounted on a wood platform supported by wood piles. The tower also carries a diamond-shaped slatted daymark, painted red. Capt. Peter Mosselberger has a photo. This light replaced the light still listed by NGA, which had a focal plane of only 6 m (20 ft). According to Capt. Mosselberger, the range lights were upgraded after large quantities of bauxite began to be shipped from New Amsterdam. Located off the entrance to the Berbice estuary, which leads to the port of New Amsterdam. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J6858; NGA 17324. Berbice Entrance Range Rear (2) Around 2011. Active; focal plane about 24 m (79 ft); white flash every 5 s. Approx. 24 m (79 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted white and mounted on a wood platform supported by wood piles. The tower also carries a diamond-shaped slatted daymark, painted red. Capt. Peter's photo is at right. This light replaced the light still listed by NGA, which had a focal plane of only 12 m (39 ft). Located 1.4 km (0.9 mi) south southwest of the front light. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J6858.1; NGA 17328. #New Amsterdam 1909. Inactive since sometime before 1975. Approx. 25 m (82 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower of the New Amsterdam Town Hall. No photo available. Capt. Peter Mosselberger visited New Amsterdam in January 2013 and was told that the old town hall had been demolished in 2012. Located in downtown New Amsterdam, on the east bank of the Berbice River about 7 km (4 mi) south of the river's mouth.

Berbice Entrance Range Rear Light, New Amsterdam, January 2013 photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger; used by permission

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: East: Suriname | West: Venezuelan Mainland

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Posted July 7, 2003. Checked and revised January 1, 2013. Lighthouses: 6. Site copyright 2013 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.