The Turks and Caicos Islands are located at the southeastern end of the Bahamas. At one time they were governed as part of the Bahamas, but in 1874 they were placed under the Governor of Jamaica. When Jamaica became independent in 1962, The Turks and Caicos became a separate British dependency with its capital at Grand Turk. The population is somewhat less than 20,000. There is only one lighthouse, but it is a very historic lighthouse, one of the oldest cast iron lights in the Western Hemisphere.

Lighthouse

* Grand Turk

1852 (Alexander Gordon). Reactivated (1998); focal plane 33 m (108 ft); white flash every 7.5 s. 18 m (60 ft) cast iron tower, painted white, attached to kerosene storage house. A 4º Fresnel lens (1943) from the lighthouse is on display at the Turks and Caicos National Museum. The keeper's house and kitchen also survive. Lindsay Blackburn's photo is at right, Amy Spencer's wider view is blow, Reef News also has a good page with closeup photos, Marinas.com has excellent aerial photos, Google has an indistinct satellite view, and Lighthouse Digest has an article on earlier unsuccessful efforts to restore the lighthouse to kerosene power. The lighthouse was prefabricated in London by Chance Brothers; it is a very rare example of this early design in cast iron. After many years of neglect, the lighthouse was partially restored in 1998. In 2006, Carnival Corp., the cruise line holding company, granted funds to repaint and refurbish the lighthouse, keeper's cottage, and other light station buildings. This was part of much larger investment to develop Grand Turk as a regular stop for cruise ships. The results of the restoration are seen in Blackburn's photo. Located at the northern tip of Grand Turk Island; accessible by road. Cruise ships calling at the island offer tours that include the light station. Site open, tower closed. Site manager: Turks and Caicos National Trust. ARLHS TCI-001; Admiralty J4812; NGA 12408.

Grand Turk Light, April 2005
photo copyright Amy Spencer; used by permission

Grand Turk Light, September 2006
Creative Commons photo by Lindsay Blackburn