Anaga Lighthouse

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Architecture · Subcategory: Civil architecture · Year: 1863 · Authors: Francisco Clavijo y Plo

The Anaga lighthouse is the oldest isolated lighthouse built in the Canary Islands and was the second maritime signal to become operational in the Archipelago, nine months after the inauguration of the Farola del Mar at the Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Its location still surprises us today due to its isolation and the surrounding landscape, at the edge of the Anaga Rural Park, in the northeast tip of the island of Tenerife.

The lighthouse arose from the First Plan for Maritime Lighting of the Canary Islands, approved in 1857. This document proposed the installation of a first-order lighthouse on the Anaga cliffs, that is, one with great range, to serve as a reference for maritime navigation on routes from the North approaching the Islands.

The design for the tower, building, and supply dock was prepared by engineer Francisco Clavijo in the summer of 1860. Work began exactly one year later, finishing in autumn 1863. The apparatus acquired for the top of the tower was manufactured by the French firm Lapaute. It had a focal distance of 932 millimetres and rotated on a circular yew wood carriage driven by a weight-driven clockwork mechanism, all powered by olive oil. Its first light was emitted by a lamp from the Degrand company that radiated a sparkling white appearance every three seconds covering a 270º sector of the horizon with a range of 35 nautical miles under normal atmospheric conditions. The lighthouse was inaugurated on the night of 15 September 1864.

The building is arranged on a single floor with a central courtyard distributing the rooms. Externally, it presents as a sober and compact work on the edge of the cliff. Its classical features are reflected in the cornice with mouldings and the exposed basalt finishes on the corners. On the façade facing the horizon rises the tower with a truncated conical section, 8.65 metres high. It is made of local basalt and has a small rectangular opening along its height that provides light to the staircase winding inside. On the shaft side opposite the sea, a small wooden door was installed giving access to the building's rooftop. The tower's top is finished with a moulded cornice supporting a small balcony enclosed by an iron grille. From here rises the turret crowned by a metal dome which was originally white, all topped by a weather vane with a lightning rod.

Throughout its history, the building has been very little altered from its original structure (the central courtyard was roofed over and modifications have been made to the turret to accommodate the various devices it has been equipped with), making it a valuable example of public works from the Isabeline era.

It was automated in 1991, being one of the last in Spain to do so. Today it continues to operate and provide service to all vessels that require it.

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