January 21 2025
'La Jument' (the Mare) lighthouse is perhaps one of the most important lighthouses in Brittany. Situated near the island of Ushant, in the open sea, on the rock ‘ar gazeg’ (the mare) from which it takes its name, it illuminates one of the most dangerous areas of the Breton coastline, the Ushant rail.
The island of Ushant has such dangerous approaches that it requires a total of five lighthouses strategically placed on land or in the open sea to ensure the safety of ships passing close by.
This is because the area is such that the sea can run roughshod over it. Wind and waves battle to form violent currents that dig into the sea and engulf ships when they are not smashing them against overhanging rocks.
On 16 June 1896, the liner Streamer Ship Drummond Castle collided with a rock off the island of Ushant and sank in just fifteen minutes. By the time the ship had sunk, only three of the 361 people on board had survived.
This was just one of many shipwrecks off the island. And it was this fear of shipwreck that led to the construction of 'la Jument' lighthouse in 1904. One man's fear of seeing what he himself had experienced happen to others.
In 1878, Charles Eugène Potron narrowly escaped a shipwreck and decided to include in his will his wish to see a lighthouse built in ‘the most dangerous parts of the Atlantic coast’, for which he bequeathed the large sum of 400,000 francs on condition that the lighthouse be built within seven years of his death.
"I, the undersigned Charles Eugène Potron, residing in Paris, rue du Sommerard, 11, bequeath the sum of four hundred thousand francs for the erection of a lighthouse built of choice materials and fitted with sophisticated lighting equipment. This lighthouse will be built on rock, in one of the most dangerous parts of the Atlantic coast, like those on the island of Ushant. The name will be that of the locality. The granite will be engraved: ‘Lighthouse built under a bequest from Charles Eugène Potron, a member of the Paris Geographical Society.' "
Following his death on 27 March 1904, the town council chose 'la Jument' rock as the site for its new lighthouse, construction of which began that same year. It was a botched job that was completed seven years later in 1911, barely meeting the deadlines imposed by the bequest and at the cost of many dangers.
'La Jument' lighthouse was not strong enough. Its hastily completed construction did not allow the building to withstand the harsh elements that assailed it. It deteriorated rapidly and regularly needed to be reinforced, lest it collapse. Consolidation work continued until 1940. And despite all the fears, the lighthouse remained upright, unperturbed in the midst of storms.
It rised to over 47 metres, piercing the night with three red lights that could be seen for up to 30 kilometres. Overlooking a rough sea whose waves constantly batter its walls, 'la Jument' lighthouse saw its staircase drowned and its lantern broken by a breaker in 1974, but it stands firm, watching over its keepers as they watch over it.
A lighthouse on the high seas is often described as a ‘hell’. But its keepers used to make it their home, left to their own devices in the heart of the unpredictable Iroise Sea, which forced them to take refuge in the kitchen on stormy days.
In 1991, 'la Jument' lighthouse was finally automated with the installation of two generators and the replacement of its oil lamp with a more modern electric one.
In 2015, it was listed as a historic monument. On 20 April 2017, it was classified as a historic monument.
Now remotely controlled from Créac'h, 'la Jument' lighthouse is off-limits to visitors, but is regularly maintained by the lighthouse and beacon services.
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