Introduction
Situated 300 miles to the leeward of Cape Horn in the most consistently savage seas of the world, the Falkland Islands have been the final resting place of many a ship. With shipping an essential part of life, lighthouses and beacons were a necessity from the start.
Due to the hazardous approach to Stanley Harbour, a red and white wooden beacon was erected at Cape Pembroke in November 1846. It was about 38 feet tall and consisted of an upright block of wood with a triangular piece of wood on top painted red and white. There were also two wooden poles erected on either side of the Narrows pointing to the entrance of Stanley Harbour. As it was not visible at a sufficient distance the beacon was dismantled and replaced by a columnar wooden beacon topped with a flagstaff on the same spot in 1850 at a cost of £140.
21 March 1854 saw the arrival in Stanley of the Danish schooner Caroline with two passengers and the new lighthouse. It was designed by William Wilkins of London and pre-fabricated from cast iron. Due to the amount of sand, a stone foundation was built on piles at a cost of £140. Construction of the lighthouse commenced May 1854 and finished the same year at a total cost of £2,181. It was 60 feet high, painted red with white bands and had 18 lamps which burnt rapeseed oil. As the lighthouse was unfit for habitation due to the climate, a wooden house was also built, with a portion of the beacon, for the lighthouse keeper at a cost of £90.
In a Government Notice dated 29 February 1892 tenders were invited for the erection of two new iron cottages at Cape Pembroke Lighthouse in substitution for the present buildings as well as for alterations and additions to the present building.
In 1906 the lighthouse was moved onto a new foundation about 200 yards west of its original position due to the deterioration of the original foundations.
Cape Pembroke Lighthouse
Government Files
SHI-CAP-1-1. Chief Clerk. Forwards report on conduct of J J Liddell Assistant Lighthouse Keeper.pdf1.77 MB
SHI-CAP-1-2. Board of Trade Query No I. Lighthouse Keepers Imperial Income Tax.pdf280.49 KB
SHI-CAP-1-3. Payment for medical attendance on lightkeepers Cape Pembroke Lighthouse.pdf102.15 KB
SHI-CAP-1-4. Payment of War Bonus to lightkeepers Cape Pembroke Lighthouse 1919.pdf147.06 KB
SHI-CAP-1-6. Income Tax 1920-21. Payable by lightkeepers Cape Pembroke Lighthouse.pdf345.53 KB
SHI-CAP-1-7. Fees payable to Light Keepers in respect of reporting ships entering the Port.pdf269.93 KB
SHI-CAP-1-9. Instructions to Light Keepers regarding the reporting of vessels.pdf284.04 KB
SHI-CAP-1-10. Income Tax 1921-22. Payable by lightkeepers Cape Pembroke Lighthouse.pdf377.38 KB
SHI-CAP-1-12. Illness of Mr J Pearce Lightkeeper.pdf3.64 MB
SHI-CAP-1-13. Cape Pembroke Lighthouse. Care and renewal of meteorological equipment.pdf267.3 KB
SHI-CAP-1-15. Cape Pembroke Lighthouse. Installation of telephone extension.pdf108.08 KB
SHI-CAP-1-16. Cape Pembroke Lighthouse. Respecting condition of winch at.pdf880 KB
SHI-CAP-1-17. Instructions to light keepers regarding the reporting of vessels.pdf112.47 KB
SHI-CAP-1-19. Fees payable to light keepers at Cape Pembroke Lighthouse for signalling vessels.pdf2.02 MB
SHI-CAP-1-21. Injury to H Wilkins while engaged in landing coal at Cape Pembroke Lighthouse.pdf677.84 KB
SHI-CAP-1-22. Question of replacing Cape Pembroke Lighthouse by an unmanned light.pdf905.37 KB
SHI-CAP-1-24. Appointment of Mr William Lewis to be principal keeper Cape Pembroke Lighthouse.pdf5.6 MB
SHI-CAP-1-25. Defence of Cape Pembroke Lighthouse.pdf1.16 MB
SHI-CAP-1-26. Assistance Cape Pembroke Lighthouse.pdf123.76 KB
SHI-CAP-1-27. Appointment of Mr W Spencer as principal keeper Cape Pembroke Lighthouse.pdf1.27 MB
SHI-CAP-1-28. Cape Pembroke Lighthouse.pdf7.13 MB
SHI-CAP-2-1. Cape Pembroke Lighthouse. Appointment of second assistant keeper and relief keeper.pdf3.44 MB
SHI-CAP-2-2. Cape Pembroke Lighthouse. Repairs to and painting of.pdf4.27 MB
SHI-CAP-2-3. Honours lighthouse personnel.pdf499.38 KB
SHI-CAP-2-4. Cape Pembroke Lighthouse. Requirements of stores.pdf12.06 MB
SHI-CAP-2-5. Cape Pembroke Lighthouse staff.pdf6.91 MB
SHI-CAP-2-6. Cape Pembroke Lighthouse.pdf9.69 MB
SHI-CAP-2-7. Cape Pembroke Lighthouse stores.pdf4.72 MB
SHI-CAP-2-8. Cape Pembroke Lighthouse - stores equipment repairs painting etc.pdf3.39 MB
SHI-CAP-2-9. Cape Pembroke Lighthouse - requirements of stores.pdf1.15 MB
SHI-CAP-2-10. Cape Pembroke Lighthouse - carriage of stores and reliefs to.pdf2.25 MB
Maps and Plans
Cape Pembroke Lighthouse.pdf13.09 MB
R-SHI-CAP-1-3. Plans of Cape Pembroke Lighthouse - circa January 1964.pdf19.21 MB
R-SHI-CAP-1-4. Plans of Cape Pembroke Lighthouse - circa January 1964.pdf17.72 MB
Photographs
The following have been photographed at a quality for reference only and to keep the file size down.
Cape Pembroke Lighthouse photographs.pdf40.91 MB
Other
Cape Pembroke Lighthouse - principal lighthouse keepers.pdf1.17 MB
Beacons and Navigation Aids
Government Files
SHI-NAV-1-3. Erection of light on Sea Lion Rocks. Question of.pdf241.11 KB
SHI-NAV-1-5. Suggested placing of additional buoys in Stanley Harbour.pdf3.33 MB
SHI-NAV-1-6. Point William Light. Maintenance of.pdf1.15 MB
SHI-NAV-1-7. Point William Light. Respecting the painting of.pdf689.14 KB
SHI-NAV-1-8. Maintenance Point William Light 1924.pdf780.77 KB
SHI-NAV-1-10. Maintenance of Point William light.pdf919.6 KB
SHI-NAV-1-11. Provision of unattended light for Sea Lion Island.pdf298.5 KB
SHI-NAV-1-12. Scrubbing and painting of ironwork of harbour lights.pdf740.36 KB
SHI-NAV-1-13. Maintenance of Point William Light 1926.pdf227 KB
SHI-NAV-1-15. Care and maintenance of Point William and harbour lights 1927.pdf2.85 MB
SHI-NAV-1-16. Proposed establishment of small automatic light on West Falklands.pdf1.8 MB
SHI-NAV-1-17. Gift of 1000 to Col Govt by J Hamilton Esq of Weddell Island Porpoise Point Light.pdf8 MB
SHI-NAV-1-18. Reflector signs as an aid to navigation.pdf185.39 KB
SHI-NAV-2-1. Harbour and coastwise lights.pdf7.9 MB
SHI-NAV-2-2. Harbour and coastwise lights.pdf10.59 MB
SHI-NAV-2-3. Navigation lights and beacons.pdf1.15 MB
SHI-NAV-2-4. Navigation lights and beacons. Radio beacon.pdf1.19 MB
SHI-NAV-2-5. Navigation lights and beacons. Mengeary light.pdf958.28 KB
SHI-NAV-2-6. Maintenance of Knob Island Light at Fox Bay.pdf710.24 KB
SHI-NAV-2-7. Mengeary Point Lighthouse.pdf1.38 MB
Maps and Plans
Beacons and Lights.pdf2.64 MB
General
Reports
Other
Disclaimer
While every effort has been taken to ensure accuracy the Jane Cameron National Archives does not accept responsibility for any omissions or errors in these records.
Copyright guide
Copies of government records may be used freely for private research and educational purposes. If material is to be used for commercial publication, exhibition or broadcast the written permission of the Jane Cameron National Archives must first be obtained. Whenever material from the Jane Cameron National Archives is reproduced in any form or in any medium, the user must acknowledge the Jane Cameron National Archives as the source and give all document references. For non-government records it is your responsibility as the user to ensure that copyright is not infringed and any infringement that does occur is your responsibility.