Name and Location

The Phare de la Jument, also known as La Jument Lighthouse, is an offshore lighthouse located 16 km west of Île d'Ouessant (Ushant) in the Iroise Sea. Its coordinates are 48°25′20″ N, 5°08′02″ W, and it can be accessed via a plus code: CVC8+VC Ushant, France.

Construction and History

The Phare de la Jument was designed and constructed by engineers Prosper Fayet and Paul Rochette in an Augustin Fresnel-style masonry. Work began in 1904 and was completed on September 1, 1911, when the lighthouse was first lit. The site presented significant challenges due to heavy seas and a remote rock outcrop.

Architecture and Materials

The tower stands at 47 meters above base level, with a focal height of 36 meters above mean sea level. It is constructed from local pink granite ashlar with a cast-iron lantern house. The design style is characteristic of late 19th to early 20th century French lighthouses.

Light and Navigation

The light characteristic is group flashing red, Fl (3) R 15 s. The nominal range is 10 nautical miles, and the red light is visible from bearings 199°–241°. A fog signal horn is also in operation.

Accessibility and Visiting

Visitors can access the lighthouse's tower itself, but this requires a boat or helicopter ride to reach the remote location. Annual maintenance visits are made by helicopter or tender from Ushant when sea conditions allow.

Notable Views and Landscape

The best views of the Phare de la Jument can be seen from excursion boats operating out of Le Conquet or Ushant during summer months, weather permitting. Photographers often capture the lighthouse against dramatic Atlantic storms.

Anecdotes and Folklore

Local lore suggests that the rock's nickname "La Jument" ("the mare") comes from its resemblance to a horse's back at high tide, with its "white mane" of foaming breakers. The lighthouse has also been immortalized in a famous 1989 photograph by Jean Guichard showing a giant wave engulfing the keepers' quarters before automation.

Technical and Operational Details

The Phare de la Jument was converted to automatic operation in 1991 and is monitored remotely from the Ports et Phares national center. It remains an active aid to navigation, fully automated and managed by the French maritime authorities, and protected as a Monument Historique.

Further Information

• For further reading and references, consult the French Wikipedia article on Phare de la Jument, Ouessant Tourist Office, NGA Pub. 113 "List of Lights, Radio Aids and Fog Signals" (2020), Monuments Historiques database PA29000084, Photographic collections: Jean Guichard's "Phares de Bretagne", and the map link at https://www.google.com/maps?q=48.4222263,-5.133903