The red and white lighthouse at Green Point was first lit on 12 April 1824. Originally it had two fixed white lights but now displays a revolving white flashing light. The tower is in use as it was from the first. The designer and builder was Herman Schutte who emigrated from Germany to the Cape in 1789, settling in Cape Town. Construction was completed in 1823 but there were delays before the light finally shone. This seems to have been the story of so many SA lighthouses, financial hitches and colonial bureaucracy playing their part.
It is the oldest working beacon in South Africa. There have been rumours that the tower is haunted by a ghost with one leg, known as 'Daddy' West. A keeper named W S West did work here from 1890 to about 1901. An attempt was made to record the spirit speaking during a paranormal investigation in 2014:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=PnQqebqDQ_s
No comments:
Post a Comment