Bonanza lighthouse
National no. 09400
Date of construction: 1864-1870
Location: 36º 20,2’N / 06º 48,2’W. Not active
It is located near the port of Bonanza at the mouth of the river Guadalquivir.
Visits: only exterior.
Description: It was built in 1864 to help vessels to reach the river port of Seville. The original design was by Jaime Font, who also designed the Chipiona lighthouse, and consists of an octagonal tower lined with brick that stands 19 metres high above the structure of a house measuring 20x21m and ending in a wooden lantern that contains an olive oil-fired lamp that projected a fixed light up to 6 miles out to sea. It was reformed several times and electrified in 1952, enabling its light to reach 14 miles.
The difficulty of navigating in this area led to this lighthouse being supplemented with another located 800 m upstream in 1894, known as San Jeronimo, to complete the illumination that guided ship through the entrance of the Guadalquivir sandbar. It was then moved in 1943 and provided with electric light.
Both lighthouses have been inactive since 1982, when a new system of beacons was installed on the Guadalquivir.
Information taken from the publication LOS FAROS DE LA COSTA ANDALUZA, author T. Falcón Márquez, Edición Consejería de Obras Públicas y Transportes y del Boletín del Instituto Andaluz de Patrimonio Histórico.
