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These 9 Singapore lighthouses shine brighter than your favorite superstar!
There’s something just aesthetically pleasing about a lighthouse, but it does a lot more than just sit there and look pretty like you typically see in photos and movies.
Those that stand at the entrance to Singapore’s waters (or in the mainland itself) are also no different, with each flicker of light not because the keepers want to throw a rave party.
Rather, Singapore’s lighthouses are a symbol of guidance, safety, and the nation’s rich maritime history, and we’re here to help these wondrous beacons remain in the limelight for years to come!
Bedok Lighthouse
Media Credit: @of_learning
Location: 5000K Marine Parade Rd, Block L, Lagoon View
Operational: Yes
Open to Public: No
Lighthouses like the Bedok Lighthouse on Marine Parade Road stretch the definition of what a lighthouse can be. With a peculiar cuboid shape, it does its job like any other beacon of light.
Standing 76 meters above sea level on top of a 26-storey building block, the Bedok Lighthouse flashes its white light every 5 seconds, a light which is visible between 37 and 42km away.
Built in 1978 to replace the obscured Fullerton lighthouse on Marina Bay, this red-colored cubicle is Singapore’s first automated and unmanned lighthouse.
Because of the nature of its construction and how high it sits on top of the Lagoon condominium, it’s also the tallest lighthouse and the only one on mainland Singapore.
While the lighthouse is still operational as of this writing, neither building residents nor the general public have access to it, making it only observable from afar.
Fort Canning Lighthouse
Media Credit: @missmiasama
Location: 30 River Valley Rd, Fort Canning Park
Operational: No
Open to Public: Yes
The Fort Canning Lighthouse is an important part of Singapore’s maritime history. It was used to guide ships back to the nation’s harbor during the British colonization.
It first started as a lantern on top of a flagstaff in 1855, which also displayed different info about each ship’s identity, status, location, and arrival.
By 1903, it became a full-fledged lighthouse thanks to Riley, Hargreaves & Co., who designed it to be an occulting type, meaning a metal cylinder was lowered to block and eclipse the light.
In the Fort Canning Lighthouse’s case, its light was darkened for 3 seconds after every 17 seconds. The light itself generated 20,000 candlepower from using a burner with kerosene.
Although it survived WWII, it ended up being dismantled in 1958 due to the increase of buildings that obscured its light.
Hence, the lighthouse that you see now at Fort Canning Hill is but a replica of the original 24.3-meter tower for tourists to appreciate.
Raffles Lighthouse
Media Credit: @sinjin.lim
Location: Pulau Satumu
Operational: Yes
Open to Public: Yes
Journeying to the southernmost tip of Singapore will let you see one of the most popular lighthouses in the island nation, the Raffles Lighthouse.
Located at Pulau Satumu, this beautiful white lighthouse tower was erected in 1855 to commemorate modern Singapore’s founder Sir Stamford Raffles.
During its earlier days, the 29-meter granite lighthouse used different light sources such as a wick burner and a pressurized vapor kerosene mantle burner.
Now, the present-day lighthouse uses both electricity and solar power and has an intensity of 117,000 candelas for its rotating beacons, which can be visible for 37 km or 20 nautical miles.
Luckily, it’s one of those lighthouses that is both still operational and open to the public. In fact, it even holds guided tours, which is a great way to learn more about its history.
Raffles Marina Lighthouse (Johor Strait Lighthouse)
Media Credit: @jamjam2324
Location: 10 Tuas West Drive
Operational: Yes
Open to Public: Yes
The stunning Raffles Marina Lighthouse by the pier off Tuas West Drive isn’t to be mixed up with the earlier Raffles Lighthouse, as the Raffles Marina Country Club owns the former.
This 1994-built lighthouse tower is a popular landmark that is still operational to this day, with many ships going in and out of the harbor guided by its beam of light.
The tower itself is 12 meters high, making it one of the shorter lighthouses on this list. Nonetheless, visibility is clear as day with its beacon flashing every 10 seconds up to 15 meters.
Due to its popularity on social media, the lighthouse is also a favorite spot for wedding photoshoots, weddings, and other nautical-themed events.
While it does offer breathtaking views, especially at sundown, keep in mind that it’s only open to the public between 8 AM and 10 PM and visitors are also subject to the Club rules.
Pulau Pisang Lighthouse
Media Credit: @apizmzms3
Location: Pulau Pisang, Johor
Operational: Yes
Open to Public: No
Another existing Singaporean lighthouse that most may not be aware of is the Pulau Pisang Lighthouse, which is actually located 15 kilometers off Johor, Malaysia.
Because of its location, it’s the only lighthouse within Malaysian territory that is still operated and managed by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
In short, you have a Singaporean lighthouse on a Malaysian island, and this is because of the 1900 agreement between Sultan Ibrahim of Johor and the British government of Singapore.
The lighthouse itself was constructed in 1914 using cast iron for the main tower. The cylindrical tower together with the balcony and lantern stands 16 metres tall.
Only authorized people get access to the lighthouse and its premises, which makes for fewer up-close photos on social media.
Horsburgh Lighthouse
Media Credit: @shipmates_sg
Location: Pedra Branca
Operational: Yes
Open to Public: No
Horsburgh Lighthouse is another lighthouse that only seafarers and the most adventurous of people have seen in person because of its geographical location.
Situated 54 km from the mainland on the island of Pedra Branca (Pulau Batu Puteh or “white rock”), Horsburgh Lighthouse was built after Scottish hydrographer Captain James Horsburgh.
As if like a living lighthouse himself, Captain Horsburgh navigated, mapped, and guided ships through many seaways in Singapore, making him a perfect namesake for the lighthouse.
Having been in operation since 1851, this 34-metre granite tower is also Singapore’s oldest existing lighthouse.
Its light characteristic is also “Fl W 10s”, which means that it flashes a white color every 10 seconds.
Berlayer Point Lighthouse (Berlayer Beacon)
Media Credit: @_hoaa
Location: Labrador Villa Rd, Labrador Nature Reserve
Operational: Yes
Open to Public: Yes
Berlayer Point Lighthouse, also known as “Berlayer Beacon”, is one of the landmarks of Labrador Nature Reserve.
Located at the southern tip of Labrador Park, the red Berlayer Beacon is mainly used as a navigational guide to mark the shortest distance between Mainland Singapore and Sentosa.
This brick-red beacon paired with its conical green Beacon twin at Tanjong Rimau in Sentosa is also used as port and starboard markers for ships approaching and entering the harbour.
At only 7 meters tall, the beacon is also one of Singapore’s shortest “lighthouses”. However, it’s still more than visible especially when lit up at night.
What’s more, is that you can see it in person by going to the Berlayer Creek Boardwalk and walking past the Dragon’s Teeth Gate until you reach the outcrop where it’s located.
Sultan Shoal Lighthouse
Media Credit: @shipmates_sg
Location: Sultan Shoal
Operational: Yes
Open to Public: No
Sultan Shoal Lighthouse is part of a trio of lighthouses, the other two being Raffles Lighthouse and Pulau Pisang Lighthouse, which mark the southwest entrance to the Singapore Strait.
First constructed in 1895, the Sultan Shoal Lighthouse has a unique combination of designs. For one, it’s situated on top of a two-storey house instead of standing on its own.
The tower alone is made of rubble masonry construction and, together with the house, stands at 18 meters.
Going from three single-wick lamps after 1931 to more modern LED lanterns later on, it has gone through numerous revamps throughout the years to improve its range and brightness.
Under its current 110,000-candela equipment, which comprises a main and standby rotating beacon, it can produce a range of 37 km or 20 nautical miles.
The lighthouse is currently off-limits to the public, although it was opened for public access in 2014 owing to a lighthouse trail walk organized by the National Heritage Board.
Fullerton Lighthouse
Media Credit: @yippi312_art
Location: Mapletree Business City
Operational: No
Open to Public: Yes
Back in its heyday in 1958, the Fullerton Lighthouse was installed on top of the Fullerton Building (or Fullerton Hotel) to replace the one in Fort Canning Hill due to it getting obstructed.
Also referred to as the “Fullerton Light”, it used to guide numerous vessels into port with its revolving beacon, which had an output of 540-kilo candelas or 540,000 candelas.
This resulted in a range of 29 kilometers or 15.7 nautical miles. However, it met a similar fate in 1978 to that of the Fort Canning Lighthouse with the increase of high-rise buildings in the area.
Hence, the Fullerton Light’s lantern was decommissioned in 1979 and initially moved to the Singapore Maritime Museum in 1985 where it served as a working exhibit.
Later on in 2001, the lantern served its stint as another artifact on Harbourfront Tower One. However, it now currently resides as an exhibit at Mapletree Business City.
