Long Eddy Point Lighthouse
Heritage Lighthouse
Grand Manan, New Brunswick
General view
(© Ficheries and Oceans Canada, Canadian Coast Guard \ Pêches et Océans Canada, Garde côtière canadienne)
Address :
438 Whistle Road, Grand Manan, New Brunswick
Recognition Statute:
Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act (S.C. 2008, c 16)
Designation Date:
2016-12-15
Dates:
-
1966 to 1966
(Construction)
Event, Person, Organization:
-
Department of Transport
(Architect)
Description of Historic Place
The Long Eddy Point Lighthouse, standing at 9.3 metres in height, consists of a square, reinforced-concrete tower, built in the corner of a square concrete-block fog alarm building. The tower is surmounted by an octagonal metal lantern with a metal gallery railing. Built in 1966, the combined lighthouse and fog alarm building is located on the northern tip of Grand Manan Island, on the edge of a forested cliff overlooking the Bay of Fundy.
Heritage Value
The Long Eddy Point Lighthouse is a heritage lighthouse because of its historical, architectural, and community values.
Historical values
The Long Eddy Point Lighthouse is the first lighthouse to be built on site, and the third fog alarm building. The station was established to support both the fishing and shipping industries of the local community. Still known locally as "The Whistle", the station was first established as a steam fog whistle which was replaced in 1905 by a foghorn located directly on the beach. It is a rare surviving example of an aid to navigation station established to provide only an audible signal, necessitated at this location by the thick fog that caused a significant number of shipwrecks around Grand Manan Island.
Architectural values
The Long Eddy Point Lighthouse is a good example of a square, reinforced concrete tower combined with a fog alarm building. It represents a typical utilitarian style repeated by the Department of Transport along Canada’s coastlines in the 1950s and 1960s.
As the Bay of Fundy experiences dense fogs and violent storms, the development of both a light and a fog-horn in one compact building design allowed the Department of Transport to meet the requirements of the site efficiently. Built with standard materials suitable for its dual purpose and its immediate environment, Long Eddy Point Lighthouse stands in good condition today.
Community values
Situated at the remote edge of rocky cliffs on the tip of Grand Manan Island, the Long Eddy Point Lighthouse reinforces the maritime character of its surroundings.
Highly valued by community members and tourists alike for its scenic views, “The Whistle” is also a popular whale and birdwatching site. Its operational light and foghorn continue to be valued by mariners and as such, are a meaningful visual and auditory presence of the local maritime heritage. The local government administers other lighthouses in the region, and recognizes their importance for the growth of tourism in the region.
Related buildings
No related buildings are included in the designation.
Character-Defining Elements
The following character-defining elements of the Long Eddy Point Lighthouse should be respected:
— its location on the northern tip of Grand Manan Island, near the mouth of the Bay of Fundy;
— its intact, as-built structural form, height, profile and proportions, based on the design repeated by the Department of Transport along Canada’s coastlines in the 1950s and 1960s for combined lighttowers and fog alarm buildings;
— its square, concrete tower and fog alarm structure;
— its red octagonal metal lantern sitting upon the gallery;
— its red metal railing;
— its traditional red and white exterior colour scheme consisting of its mostly white structure, accented by red features;
— its visual prominence in relation to the water and landscape.