Ile aux Fouquets (Ile aux Phare)
Île aux Fouquets Light, Mahébourg, November 2007
ex-Flickr Creative Commons photo by Bertalan Voros https://www.ibiblio.org/lighthouse/mus.htm
Chance Brothers Lighthouse
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Date of lens manufacture
1862
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Date of lighthouse construction
1864
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Country
Mauritius
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Commissioning body
Unknown
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Order of lens
1st order
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Fixed or revolving lens
Fixed
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Active/Inactive
Inactive
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Describe the character of light
Unknown
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Describe the lighthouses daymarks
The lighthouse is now a ruin on the Ile aux Fouquets.
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Which aspects of the lighthouse (other than the lens) were manufactured by Chance brothers
None known.
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Describe the history of the lighthouse
The lighthouse was built on one of three islands just outside Mahebourg harbour. The port was the original French settlement on the island however in the early 20th century the British moved all port operations to the other side of the island and from this point the lighthouse was abandoned and fell into ruin. The lighthouse and associated buildings were built from basalt (parts of the spiral staircase are still visible inside) with carved door and window lintels and coral masonry. The optic which was made by Chance Brothers of Smethwick near Birmingham is no longer in situ, whereabouts being unknown and the lantern area is ruined with no roof for protection. Various videos are available on YouTube showing the island and the lighthouse ruin.
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Current management body/ ports authority
Islets National Park
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Historical preservation societies/manager/operator
Islets National Park
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Is the site vulnerable to coastal erosion?
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Have you experienced any affects of climate change on the lighthouse?
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Observations on the condition of the lighthouse?
Lighthouse and associated buildings are all ruins.
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Is the site open/closed to the public
Open
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Is the tower open/closed to the public
Closed
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Latitude and Longitude
-20.395978° 57.777401°
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On-site bookable accommodation available
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Associated web addresses
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Other details
The island can be visited by tour boats from the mainland.
Île au Phare, also known as Île aux Fouquets, is a rocky island on the Grand Port Bay, east of the main island of the Republic of Mauritius and in the immediate vicinity of the Vacoas islet. It is one of the country’s national parks.
ARLHS MAT-002.
Video:
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Which resources did you use to research this lighthouses?
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Chance Lighthouse Destroyed or Ruined
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Date of decommissioning of lighthouse
Unknown but early 20th century.
Unde?