The Government of Canada today announced the designation of Point Amour lighthouse as a heritage lighthouse under Canada's Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act. Located in L'Anse–Amour, Newfoundland and Labrador, this lighthouse is considered an Atlantic icon.
At 33.2 metres (109 feet), the Point Amour heritage lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in Newfoundland and Labrador and the second tallest in Canada. The lighthouse has a tapered limestone and brick shaft, capped by a stepped and flared cornice, upon which rests the gallery and the lantern. A two–storey, gable–roofed duplex dwelling is attached to the lighthouse by its rear wing.
Point Amour heritage lighthouse was built in 1857, on the southeast side of Forteau Bay along the Strait of Belle Isle to serve trans–Atlantic shipping, which had rapidly increased throughout the 19th century. It is an excellent example of a major coastal lighthouse that also serves local mariners from the communities in the region of L'Anse au Clair to Red Bay.
The lighthouse is associated with the most famous marine disaster in the history of the Strait of Belle Isle, the wreck of HMS Raleigh, a British warship that grounded near the lighthouse on August 8, 1922 in an attempt to avoid a collision with an iceberg.
Point Amour heritage lighthouse has been partially restored to its original period and is operated as a Provincial Historic Site. It is a symbol of the region's maritime heritage and a history that has always been linked with the sea.
The designation also includes the lightkeeper and assistant keeper dwellings, the former fog alarm/radio beacon building, the former shed and the active fog horn equipment building.
The Point Amour heritage lighthouse is located north of Forteau on the Trans–Labrador Highway.
Adopted in 2008, the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act allows for the identification and protection of federally–owned lighthouses with heritage value. It is the most significant piece of federal legislation to protect historic places of the last decade. It will help to ensure that important heritage lighthouses on Canada's coastal and inland waters remain protected for future generations.
The Government of Canada has taken action to protect heritage lighthouses by providing the public with the opportunity to nominate lighthouses for heritage designation; between 2010 and 2012, 348 were nominated. The Government of Canada also ensures, through a due diligence process, that heritage lighthouses that are acquired by new owners have sustainable financial plans in place. Designated lighthouses are well–protected as their owners are required to care for them in accordance with recognized standards for heritage conservation.
The Point Amour lighthouse was designated on the recommendation of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
