Recognized Federal Heritage Building

Lighttower

Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador

Also known as Bacalhao Island Lighttower, Tour de phare

General view of the Bacalhao Island Lighttower showing the spiraling daymark colours extending up into the lantern’s murette.

General view of the Bacalhao Island Lighttower showing the spiraling daymark colours extending up into the lantern’s murette.

Photo: Department of Fisheries & Oceans Canada/Département de pêches et océans Canada

Built
1894
Recognized
1989
By
Government of Canada

The register’s text, word for word

Description

The Lighttower at Bacalhao Island is a tall, cast-iron tower with an attractive lantern capped by a prominent weathervane. The spiraling daymark colours extending up into the lantern’s murette, enhance the height of the lighthouse. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage value

The Lighttower is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental value.

Historical Value

The Lighttower illustrates the theme of navigational aids in Newfoundland when it was a British colony with an economy almost entirely based on the sea. Its construction also illustrates the theme of growing industrialization around the turn of the 20th century.

Architectural Value

The Lighttower is a very good example of a utilitarian structure constructed with cast-iron technology and with excellent functional design. It is one of approximately 26 lighthouses of prefabricated iron and steel construction, thought to be the only surviving examples of their type in Canada. Favoured because of their inexpensive cost, ease of erection, low maintenance requirements and long-term durability, these structures reflect the desire to achieve a design that would withstand the rigours of the Newfoundland coast.

Environmental Value

The Lighttower reinforces the character of its maritime setting and is a familiar landmark to passing commercial vessels and area fishermen.

Sources:

Bacalhao Island Lighthouse, Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland, Federal Heritage Building Review Office Building Report 88-135; Bacalhao Island Lighthouse, Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland, Heritage Character Statement, 88-135.

Character‑defining elements

The character-defining elements of the Lighttower should be respected.

Its prefabricated design and cast-iron construction, for example:

-the massing of the tower which is composed of a concrete base, cylindrical cast-iron shaft, lantern platform and lantern capped with a prominent weathervane;

-the cast-iron construction system, comprised of rounded rectangular segments bolted together on the interior face;

-the spiraling daymark colours extending up into the lantern’s murette.

The manner in which the Lighttower reinforces the character of its maritime coastal setting and is a familiar landmark, as evidenced by:

-the overall composition and appearance of the lighthouse which dominates its coastal setting in its remote, maritime environment;

-the high visibility of the tower from the water, by virtue of its location on an island and distinctive daymark colours.

End of the register’s text

Location

Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

49.68880° N, 54.55527° W

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From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.