Slangkop Lighthouse

Slangkop Lighthouse stands on the exposed Atlantic coast at Kommetjie and at first looks like a fairly classic white lighthouse.

Its construction is anything but conventional.

The tower was not built from stone. It was assembled from hundreds of heavy cast-iron sections, joined together almost like a giant industrial kit.

The lighthouse was commissioned in 1914, but the First World War delayed delivery and completion. Slangkop finally entered service in 1919.

The tower rises to roughly 33 metres.

It was automated in 1979, but that did not turn it into a purely historic monument. It continues to serve a navigational function along this difficult stretch of coast.

That is what makes Slangkop more interesting than simply a photogenic white tower beside the ocean.

It is a century-old piece of working engineering that gradually became one of Kommetjie’s defining landmarks.

In short: 🗼 Operating since 1919 · 🔩 Cast-iron sectional structure · 📏 Around 33 m · ⚙️ Automated since 1979 · 🌊 Atlantic coast · 📍 Kommetjie