Phare du Port

English translation

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History

Saint-Georges plays, from 1860, an important role for the entrance to the Gironde thanks to its two lighthouse houses, one on the point of Suzac, the other near the port, on the cliff of Vallières. Their alignment is the third which permits the use of the main channel while avoiding sandbanks. In 1897, a simplification of the guidance system is decided: suppression of the alignment of Terre Nègre, replaced by the lighting of Saint-Georges, previously amplified. The fire of Suzac receives a larger lens while that of Vallières, too low, must be raised to 29m above ground. The new lighthouse, designed by engineer Alexandre, is constructed from 1900 to 1901. The construction of the Verdon oil port brings about the displacement of the passes towards the north and renders the alignment of Saint-Georges useless, which is extinguished in 1969. The lighthouse is a square tower in ashlar, of classical order architecture: strong stepped base and very projecting cornice; shaft treated in light bossage in table form; Doric entablature with triglyphs transformed into modillions; openwork parapet in stone; lantern in stone with angles bevelled in setback and small moulded cornice; copper dome ribbed, surmounted by the decompression ball and furnished with a gutter concealed by a band of worked copper. The entrance door is ornamented with a Doric decoration in granite. The windows have a slight Tuscan cornice. The interior contains a cylindrical staircase cage, lined with bricks to prevent mildew. The steps with a core are ornamented with an astragal. Of the lighting mechanism subsists the cast-iron column, the annular lens and the electric emergency fire.