Range Lights

There are 40 (20 pairs) of range lights in the PEI lighthouse family.  Each pair of range lights includes a front range and a rear range and mark the entrance to a harbour.  Range lights were used by boat captains to pilot their craft safely into harbour by visually lining up the front and rear range lights to get their heading.  For this reason, the front range is typically shorter and the rear range is taller. Range lights often have a vertical red stripe on them as day marks to help the pilot visually line up the pair of lights to find their heading.

One range light – Leard’s Front Range in Victoria-by-the-Sea has been converted to the Victoria Seaport Museum.

Brighton Beach Back Range

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The tower is 18.4m (60.4 feet) high, and is one of two concrete light structures on PEI. It is the only one built in the hexagonal “apple-core style”. The top is surrounded with a circular metal railing. Below this is a sloped wall with the navigation light on the seaward side. The red day mark extends down from the railing about one third of the way down the tower. On the opposite side are four tall slim windows.

Its interior contains the only spiral staircase in a lighthouse on PEI.

The Brighton Beach Rear Range Light is located approximately 398 m (1275 feet) from the front range light.

Driving Directions:

Although the lighthouse is located on private property, it can be seen from a public road.

It is located in a residential area on private property. Very easily seen from Queen Elizabeth Drive in Charlottetown.

GPS Coordinates: 336 degrees 56' 398m from front range

Technical Data
  • Status: Active
  • LOL number: 995
  • Date Built: 1968
  • Electrification and De-staffing Dates: It was always electrified. It never had keepers.
  • Nominal Range: 13 NAUTICAL MILES
  • Focal Height: 26.3m, 86'3"
  • Light: Fixed Yellow
  • Tower height: 18.4m, 60'4"
Historic Data

The original Brighton Back Range was built in 1890. The present range light was completed on December 24, 1968 by Williams, Murphy and MacLeod.

The Original Back Range was 12.8 m (42 feet tall) and was located on the old asylum grounds 389m (1275 feet) north of the Front Light.

The masts were replaced in 1892 by “skeleton towers built by James Handrahan for $383.90 .The upper parts of both towers were enclosed and surmounted by wooden lanterns that contained a catoptric illuminating apparatus. Front range was 12.2 m (40) feet tall and the back range was 15.2 m (50 feet) tall.

The sides of the towers facing the range line were slatted to make conspicuous day marks. Towers were painted white and the lantern rooms brown.

In 1895, a 20 foot tall red diamond was painted on the seaward side of both range lights to “make them more conspicuous as day beacons”. The lanterns were painted red at that time. The red diamonds were in use until the 1950’s when they were replaced by the current red vertical day marks.

The rear tower was blown over during a heavy gale on October 11,1900, forcing a temporary light to be shown from a lantern hoisted between two poles.

A new Brighton Beach Back Range was built in 1968 by Williams, Murphy and Mac Leod. The octagonal design is nicknamed the “apple-core” design. The concrete tower is 18’.4m (60.4 feet) tall. It is the only Island lighthouse with a spiral staircase. It is located 398m (1,306 feet) from the Front Range.

 

Lighthouse Keepers

This range light has always been operated by electricity.

Current Owners/ Operators:

The Government of Canada currently owns the Brighton Beach Back Range Light.