Images(2)

Sydney Heads

Artist John Skinner Prout (1805 - 1876)

Engraver Charles Cousen (British, 1819 - 1889)

Publisher London, Virtue & Co (Founded 1849)

Date1874

Object number00039572

NameEngraving

MediumPaper

Dimensions215 x 270 mm

ClassificationsArt

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionA print engraved by Charles Cousen and based on an 1870 work by John Skinner Prout depicting the entrance to Port Jackson and Macquarie Lighthouse titled 'Sydney Heads'. This image appeared in volume one of 'Australia' by Edwin Carton Booth. HistoryThe Macquarie Lighthouse is Australia's first and longest operating navigational light. A flagstaff was constructed on the site in 1791 and in 1793, an iron basket was erected on a tripod that burned wood and later coal. The coal powered beacon served as the colony's only guiding light for 25 years. In 1818 Governor Macquarie commissioned convict architect Francis Greenway to design a sandstone lighthouse for the site(completed 1883). As Greenway predicted, the sandstone was too soft to withstand the elements and soon deteriorated. In 1883 a new lighthouse designed by architect James Barnett was constructed adjacent to the old one. The Macquarie Lighthouse continued to operate during the 20th century, becoming fully automated in 1976.SignificanceNegotiating the Heads and Sydney Harbour was a navigational challenge.The construction of beacons such as the Macquarie Lighthouse and the Hornby Light enabled the safe passage of commercial and other vessels into Sydney Harbour. They both facilitated and reflected the growth of the Port Jackson settlement.