The original Hant’s Harbour lighthouse was built in 1881 on Custard’s Head. It was a white, octagonal tower made of wood, and had a small one-story store attached. The first keeper of the lighthouse was W. Soper and together he and the tower guided ships in and out of the horseshoe-shaped harbour.
The lantern room had triangular panes for windows and an Argand lamp was used in an eighth-order lens to produce a fixed white light from the tower. The focal plane of the light was 19.8 metres even after there was an update to the lens in 1893 to a sixth-order lens.
The current Hant’s Harbour lighthouse was built in 1957 according to the Canadian Coast Guard. It’s still a white, wooden tower but the original store that was attached is gone. The previous octagonal-shaped tower it is now square-shaped and the focal plane remains at 19.8 metres. It appears like the lantern room with the triangular panes and top cap may be from the original tower and painted red. The balcony remains as well but I’m unsure if it’s original or not.
There’s been some weather damage to the lighthouse over the years due to it being built from wood. Unlike the Heart’s Content Lighthouse that’s built from cast iron and requires very little maintenance, this lighthouse in Hant’s Harbour will most likely need renovations again in the future to withstand Newfoundland’s climate.
It was super windy and freezing cold when I visited this lighthouse but I had a great time! The waves crashing upon the coastline made for some great photo ops and I enjoyed exploring the tiny roads of Hant’s Harbour. I do plan to return to this area during Summer 2024 for the tourist season and learn more about the area and it’s history. Until next time…
Whoa Dana 