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The
Galle
Lighthouse
(also
known
as
Pointe
de
Galle
Light)
is
an
onshore
Lighthouse
in
Galle,
Sri
Lanka
and
is
operated
and
maintained
by
the
Sri
Lanka
Ports
Authority.
This
is
Sri
Lanka's
oldest
light
station.
Philippus
Baldaeus,
a
Dutch
minister
who
served
in
the
area
in
the
late
1650s,
detailed
his
observations
of
Galle
Harbour,
in
his
work,
Description
of
the
East
India,
Malabar
and
Coromandel
Coasts,
stating
that
there
was
an
iron
cannon
placed
on
the
ramparts
and
a
lantern
to
guide
the
sailors
on
top
of
the
28
feet
above
sea
level
rock
which
jutted
out
into
the
sea.
The
first
lighthouse
at
Galle
was
built
by
the
British
in
1848.
It
was
a
24.4-metre-high
(80
ft)
iron
lighthouse,
constructed
from
cast-iron
plates,
imported
from
England,
designed
by
British
architect
Alexander
Gordon
and
erected
by
Messrs.
Robinson,
Engineers
of
Pimlico.
The
lighthouse,
painted
white,
was
located
on
the
southwest
bastion,
Utrtecht
Bastion,
of
Galle
fort
on
the
western
side
of
Galle
Harbor.
It
had
a
fixed
point
light
with
prolate
reflectors,
which
was
visible
for
19
kilometres
(12
mi).
In
July
1936
it
was
destroyed
by
fire.
The
current
26.5-metre-high
(87
ft)
concrete
lighthouse
was
erected
about
100
metres
(330
ft)
from
the
original
site
in
1939.
The
original
light
was
furnished
with
a
glass
prism
lens
floating
in
a
bath
of
mercury
(to
reduce
friction)
and
was
powered
by
a
weight
driven
machine.[citation
needed]
The
light
station
is
within
the
walls
of
the
ancient
Galle
Fort,
a
UNESCO
world
heritage
site
and
well
known
tourist
attraction.
The
lighthouse
is
strategically
located
at
the
southern
end
of
the
promontory,
built
approximately
6
metres
(20
ft)
above
the
road
level
on
the
ramparts,
at
what
is
known
as
the
Point
Utrecht
Bastion,
giving
it
full
view
of
any
ships
entering
Galle
Harbour.
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