Lighthouses of Barbados

The Republic of Barbados is located in the Atlantic Ocean on the east side of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, about 160 km (100 miles) east of St. Vincent. The island has a population approaching 300,000 and a strong British heritage, having been a British colony from 1627 until it became independent in 1966. It is a very popular vacation destination for both North Americans and Europeans.

The island of Barbados is 34 km (21 miles) long and up to 23 km (14 mi) wide. Unlike the other islands of the Lesser Antilles it is relatively flat, with no mountainous terrain. Bridgetown, on the west coast, is the capital.

Barbados has four historic lighthouses. All four were long endangered by neglect and became much in need of restoration, but recently three of the four have been restored.

Active lights in Barbados are operated by Barbados Port, Inc.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from Volume J of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA numbers are from Publication 110.

General Sources
Online List of Lights - Barbados
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.
Leuchttürme auf den Kleinen Antillen
Photos posted by Bernd Claußen.
Lighthouses in Barbados
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
World of Lighthouses - Barbados
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Leuchttürme von Barbados
Photos by a German visitor.
Barbados Lighthouses
Aerial photos posted by Marinas.com.
Leuchttürme Mittelamerikas und der Karabik auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard views posted by Klaus Huelse.
GPSNauticalCharts
Navigation chart for Barbados.
Navionics Charts
Navigation chart for Barbados.


Ragged Point Light, February 2023
Instagram photo by Jani Ollikainen

 

Lighthouses
* Ragged Point (East Point)
1875. Reactivated (inactive 2007(?)-2011); focal plane 65 m (213 ft); continuous red light. 29.5 m (97 ft) stone tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern and watch room black. The keeper's house and other light station buildings are abandoned and in ruins. Jani Ollikainen's 2023 photo is at the top of tis page, Katherine Miccinilli has a 2023 closeup, Felino Florendo has a 2020 street view, and Google has a satellite view. Long endangered; earlier photos show shattered glass in the lantern and the poor condition of the tower. Carlos Granier-Phelps has a August 2006 photo and Trabas has a photo by Rainer Arndt showing these problems. The Admiralty reported the light to be "temporarily extinguished" in 2007; in May 2011 it announced that a continuous red warning light has been activated on the tower. Finally, in May 2017 the port authority hired Hinds Transport Services Ltd. to restore the lighthouse as a navigational aid and tourist attraction. This restoration was complete in the spring of 2018; a June 2018 photo shows the results. Located on a bluff above the Atlantic about 2 km (1.2 mi) northwest of East Point, the easternmost point of the island. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS BAR-003; Admiralty J5804; NGA 15096.
* South Point
1852 (Alexander Gordon). Active; focal plane 44 m (145 ft); three white flashes every 30 s. 27 m (89 ft) cast iron tower with lantern and gallery, painted with red and white horizontal bands. 1-story keeper's house, abandoned. A 2022 photo is at right, a 2007 photo is available, Dave Grella has a 2010 photo, Trabas has a view from the sea by Luc Petrelluzzi, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a 2019 street view and a satellite view. The lighthouse was exhibited at London’s Great Exhibition in 1851, then reassembled on the island. Stephen Mendes's 1998 photo showed the lighthouse to be rusted and much in need of restoration. The lighthouse was refurbished and painted in 2004 and the photo at the top of the page shows the tower with its new paint job. An additional restoration and repainting was completed late in 2017, but Dre Moore's 2022 photo shows the red bands faded to pink. Located near the southernmost point of the island. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS BAR-004; Admiralty J5806; NGA 15100.
* Oistins Fishing Jetty
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 6 m (20 ft); continuous red light. 5 m (17 ft) mast atop a square gazebo-like pierhead building. Trabas has a photo by Luc Petrelluzzi, Amelia Payne has a street view along the pier, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the pier at Oistins on the south coast of the island. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J5806.5; NGA 15102.
* Needhams Point (2)
1886 (station established 1855). Inactive, probably since 2005. 13 m (43 ft) octagonal masonry tower with lantern and gallery, painted white, lantern and gallery black. In 2005 Hilton Hotels built a large hotel next to the lighthouse, blocking its light from reaching the sea. Hilton took ownership of the lighthouse and restored and painted its exterior. A 2021 photo, a 2007 photo and a 2009 photo are available, a 2021 photo is available, Huelse has a historic postcard view, Paul Marquardt has a 2019 street view from the beach, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the south end of Carlisle Bay, southwest of Bridgetown. Site open, tower status unknown. Owner: Hilton Hotels. Site manager: Hilton Barbados Resort. . ARLHS BAR-002.
* [Needhams Point (3)]
Date unknown (station established 1855). Active; focal plane about 35 m (115 ft);  red flash every 8 s). 30 m (98 ft) mast painted with red and white horizontal bands. Trabas has Rainer Arndt's photo but the slender mast is not seen in Google's satellite view. Located on the point west of the hotel. Site open. Site manager: Hilton Barbados Resort. Admiralty J5807; NGA 15108.
* Bridgetown Entrance Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 20 m (66 ft); green light, 3 s on, 1.5 s off. Approx. 17 m (56 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower, painted black. The top of the tower carries a rectangular daymark, painted red with a yellow vertical stripe. Trabas has a photo by Arno Siering and Google has a 2019 street view and a satellite view. The front light was originally mounted atop a daymark panel at the end of the harbor breakwater; the breakwater has been replaced by a quay and the light shifted to a new location. Located on the waterfront of Bridgetown's modern harbor. Admiralty J5812.56; NGA 15122.1.
Harrison Point
1925. Reactivated (inactive 2007(?)-2011); focal plane 59 m (194 ft); continuous red light. 26 m (85 ft) concrete block tower with lantern and gallery, originally painted white; lantern red. Keeper's quarters and other light station buildings abandoned and in ruins. A photo by Jasmine Rheas is at right, Akil Cumberbatch has a 2021 photo, Daniel Sobers has a 2017 photo, Lightphotos.net has a 2012 photo, Dan Cravotta has a 2008 photo, Marinas.com has aerial photos, Felino Florendo has a 2020 street view, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse is gravely endangered; it appears in poor condition in a 2024 photo. There was a period around 2006 when the lighthouse was on the grounds of a prison and not accessible to the public, but this is no longer the case. The Admiralty reported the light to be "temporarily extinguished" in 2007. Jon Van Hout visited the lighthouse early in 2011 and found it abandoned, stripped of its wiring, and open to all comers. In May 2011 the Admiralty announced that a continuous red warning light has been activated on the tower. Since the restoration of the Ragged Point and South Point lighthouses in 2017 there has been interest in restoring this lighthouse as well but no definite plans have been announced. Nothing had been done by 2022, when volunteers turned out to clear vegetation from around the abandoned tower. Located at the northeasternmost point of the island, about 8 km (5 mi) north of Speightstown. Site and tower open. . ARLHS BAR-001; Admiralty J5814; NGA 15128.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:


South Point Light, July 2022
Instagram photo by Captain Larry’s Ebikes


Harrison Point Light, November 2023
Instagram photo by jasmine_rheas

Adjoining page: West: St. Vincent and the Grenadines

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Posted April 5, 2005; checked and revised February 16, 2024. Lighthouses: 6. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.