At the beginning of 1801 Lachlan Macquarie became just the fifth Governor of New South Wales, a colonial outpost blessed with one of the largest natural harbours in the world. That it could be used as a base for trading with Asia was part of his forward thinking and the lighthouse he commissioned on Sydney’s South Head would become a beacon of safety for that trade.
The visionary Governor entrusted its design to Francis Greenway, an architect from Bristol who’d been found guilty of forgery after his business had gone bankrupt. However unpromising the selection of a convict might have sounded, it proved brilliantly successful – Greenway went on to design some of the most important buildings to survive the era.
Image courtesy of John Ibbotson.
Macquarie himself laid the foundation stone for the lighthouse on 11 July 1816. The ceremony took place on high cliffs two kilometres south of the harbour entrance where a tripod mounted beacon had burned as a warning to sailors since 1793.
The project faced considerable difficulties, including a lack of skilled stonemasons and the unsuitability of local sandstone for such an exposed site. Nevertheless, it impressed Macquarie so much that he granted freedom to Greenway who achieved further considerable success as the colony’s civil architect and assistant engineer.
Noble, magnificent edifice
Classically inspired, the symmetry of Macquarie Lighthouse comprising two domes either side of the tower presented a bold outline – the Governor writing in his diary that it had a “noble, magnificent edifice”. On a practical level, its oil burning lamps became operational on 30 November 1818 under the supervision of Robert Watson, a former First Fleet quartermaster, pilot and harbourmaster who gave his name to a nearby bay.
The only weakness in Greenway’s triumph, however, lay in the quality of its materials. As the stone began crumbling, the structure had to be trussed together with iron hoops. When it was deemed impractical to install new light technology in the decaying building, a replacement became inevitable.
Reproduced with permission from NSW State Archives.
The new Macquarie Lighthouse was begun in 1879, literally in the shadow of its predecessor. In contemporary opinion there was little need for external change and colonial architect James Barnet’s design preserved much of the original’s appearance – but for a larger lamp house at the top of the tower. For a few years the two structures stood less than four metres apart, Greenway’s building being dismantled only after the new light came into service in June 1883.
Today, the tower on Australia’s oldest lighthouse site still plays a crucial role for mariners heading for the safety of Sydney Harbour. Now fully automated, its powerful halogen lamps can be seen more than 40 kilometres out to sea.
Macquarie Lighthouse Bicentenary 2018 1oz Silver Proof Coin
Struck from 1oz of 99.99% pure silver in proof quality, this special commemorative pays tribute to Macquarie Lighthouse, the pioneers who foresaw its necessity and those dedicated to its construction, maintenance and operation during the past 200 years.
The coin’s reverse portrays the remarkable Sydney landmark as it was originally designed by Greenway. A symbolic beam of light emerges from the glow at the top of the tower which resembles a Fresnel lens and incorporates the number 200.
Extremely collectable, the coin is housed in presentation packaging with a limited mintage of just 3,000.
POST A COMMENT
