Blockhouse Point Lighthouse
Heritage Lighthouse
Rocky Point, Prince Edward Island
General view
(© Fisheries and Oceans Canada | Pêches et Océans Canada, 2024)
Address :
Rocky Point, Prince Edward Island
Recognition Statute:
Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act (S.C. 2008, c 16)
Designation Date:
2024-03-20
Dates:
-
1876 to 1876
(Construction)
-
1876 to 1876
(Established)
Event, Person, Organization:
-
Design by J. Tomlinson, 1875 (Department of Marine and Fisheries, Plan No. 71.)
(Architect)
Description of Historic Place
The Blockhouse Point Lighthouse is a wooden square-tapered tower with an attached two-storey lightkeeper’s residence. Built in 1876, the lighthouse achieves a height of 12.8 metres (42 feet) from base to vane. The lighthouse is located on the west side of the entrance to the Charlottetown Harbour on the south shore of Prince
Edward Island. The lighthouse is part of a series of lighthouses that guide ships safely through the Northumberland Strait.
Heritage Value
The Blockhouse Point Lighthouse is a heritage lighthouse because of its historical, architectural, and community values.
Historical values
The Blockhouse Point Lighthouse is a very good example of the development of aids to navigation along Prince Edward Island’s south coast. A number of shipwrecks in the Northumberland Strait in the 19th century prompted the surrounding provinces and colonies to begin building lighthouses. When Prince Edward Island joined Confederation in 1873, the Dominion Government was already working to improve maritime safety by erecting a
network of coastal lighthouses. In 1876, as part of this federal program, a lighthouse was built outside Charlottetown Harbour.
The Blockhouse Point Lighthouse was constructed during a period of great economic growth and prosperity in Canada and Prince Edward Island. The 19th century saw Charlottetown’s commercial life expand considerably. The harbour, over the course of the 19th century, saw an increase in marine traffic, including trans-Atlantic ships
and coastal steamships. These ships were arriving with immigrants and departing with Canadian timber and other exports. The Blockhouse Point Lighthouse supported the economic development of Charlottetown.
Architectural values
The Blockhouse Point Lighthouse is an excellent example of a wooden square-tapered lighthouse with an attached
lightkeeper’s residence. This particular example of the design is notable for its pleasing proportions, its picturesque
qualities and profile, and its use of red and white colours. The simplicity of the wood shingle detail on the tower shaft and dwelling contrasts with the smooth detailing of the windows and coved cornices and contribute to the Blockhouse Point Lighthouse’s visual qualities.
The Blockhouse Point Lighthouse, which combines a lighttower and a keeper’s residence, is very well suited to the conditions of coastal Prince Edward Island. Built according to plans prepared by the Department of Marine and Fisheries, the design for the lighthouse satisfied the departmental policy of providing suitable living conditions for keepers and their families. The lighthouse was well built using durable, local materials. The lighthouse has survived over 130 years of harsh maritime conditions, a testament to the quality of timber and craftsmanship employed in its construction.
Community values
The Blockhouse Point Lighthouse establishes the maritime and historic character of the surrounding area. It is
located on a picturesque and prominent point of land that provides an excellent view of Charlottetown and its harbour. Its prominent placement ensures that it has been, since its construction, a central feature of the area and a focal point in the surrounding waters of Charlottetown Harbour.
The Blockhouse Point Lighthouse is a symbol of Charlottetown and the south shore of Prince Edward Island. It is a well-known landmark in the province and, because of its continuing operation as an aid to navigation, it is well known to all mariners who frequent the waters of Charlottetown Harbour and the Northumberland Strait.
Related buildings
There are no related buildings included in the designation.
Character-Defining Elements
The following character-defining elements of the Blockhouse Point Lighthouse should be respected:
— its location as a harbour light on the west side of the entrance to the Charlottetown Harbour, Prince Edward Island;
— its intact, as-built structural form, height, and balanced proportions based on the design of a combined lighthouse and lightkeeper’s residence;
— its distinctive profile, consisting of a tapered, square tower integrated with an attached dwelling;
— its octagonal lantern with six glass panes and two wooden panels, one of which is adorned with a white maple leaf;
— its gallery and simple metal railing, supported by a coved cornice;
— the ladder which connects the residence’s roof to the tower’s gallery;
— its residence’s chimney, which projects from the roof of the residence;
— its residence’s flat roof and coved cornice;
— its wooden shingle sheathing;
— its tower’s six projecting, pedimented windows;
— its residence’s twelve multi-paned wood sash windows;
— its verandah, located in the north-west corner of the lightstation, with a roof supported by decorated posts;
— its traditional colour scheme, consisting of white for the tower and attached dwelling, and red for the lantern, the gallery railing, the window and door trim, and the roofs; and,
— its visual prominence in relation to the water and landscape.