Horsburgh Lighthouse
Horsburgh Lighthouse by John Turnbull Thomson, who designed the lighthouse, showing the island of Pedra Branca just after the completion of the lighthouse in 1851
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 Location in Singapore
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| Location |
Pedra Branca Singapore |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 1°19′49″N 104°24′20″E / 1.33032°N 104.40565°ECoordinates: 1°19′49″N 104°24′20″E / 1.33032°N 104.40565°E |
| Year first constructed | 1851 |
| Construction | granite tower |
| Tower shape | tapered cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern |
| Markings / pattern | tower with black and white bands |
| Height | 34 metres (112 ft) |
| Focal height | 31 metres (102 ft) |
| Characteristic | Fl W 10s. |
| Admiralty number | F1820 |
| NGA number | 21188 |
| ARLHS number | SIN-001 |
Horsburgh Lighthouse (Chinese: 霍士堡灯塔; Malay: Rumah Api Horsburgh) is an active lighthouse which marks the eastern entrance to the Straits of Singapore. It is situated on Pedra Branca island. Singapore's earliest lighthouse by date of completion, it is located approximately 54 kilometres (34 mi) to the east of Singapore and 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) from the Malaysian state of Johor.
Horsburgh Lighthouse was named after Captain James Horsburgh (28 September 1762 – 14 May 1836), a Scottish hydrographer from the East India Company, who mapped many seaways around Singapore in the late 18th and early 19th century. He was called "the Nautical Oracle of the World". His charts and books allowed ships to navigate through treacherous areas of the ocean, saving many lives and property on the seas between China and India. On the wall of the Visitor's Room on the sixth floor of the lighthouse under the light room there is a panel with the following inscription:
Pharos Ego
Cui nomen praebuit
Horsburgh Hydrographus
In maribus Indo Sinicis praeter omnes praeclarus
Angliae Mercatorum nisi imprimis indole
Ex imperii opibus Anglo Indici denique constructa
Saluti nautarum insignis viri memoriae
Consule
A. D. MDCCCLI
W. J. Butterworth, C. B.,
Prov: Malacc. Praef.
A.D. 1851
The Horsburgh Lighthouse
is raised by the British enterprise of British Merchants,
and by the liberal aid of the East India Company,
to lessen the dangers of navigation,
and likewise to hand down,
so long as it shall last,
in the scene of his useful labours,
The Memory of the Great Hydrographer
whose name it bears.
Col. W. J. Butterworth, C. B.,
Governor in the Straits of Malacca.
J. T. Thomson,
Architect.
...
Wikipedia