Restoration – Moguériec lighthouse

The Moguériec lighthouse is located in Sibiril, a commune in the Finistère department in the Brittany region of France. Moguériec is a small fishing and pleasure port at the mouth of the Penzé river, on the north coast of Brittany. The lighthouse is an important part of the region’s maritime signage, guiding ships through the sometimes rough waters of the English Channel.

The Mogueriec Lighthouse was built in July 1876 as the result of a collaboration between engineer Gustave Eiffel and industrialist Louis Sautter.
Gustave Eiffel was a French civil engineer and architect, famous for building the Eiffel Tower for the 1889 Universal Exhibition in Paris. Born on December 15, 1832 in Dijon and died on December 27, 1923 in Paris, Eiffel specialized in metal structures, contributing to numerous bridges and the internal framework of the Statue of Liberty. His most emblematic work, the Eiffel Tower, has become a global symbol of France and innovative engineering.

The Moguériec lighthouse was part of the fabulous maritime signalling epic of the 19th century, a period during which France erected numerous lighthouses along its vast coastline to improve maritime safety. These lighthouses were built to ensure the safety of ships sailing near the rocky and often dangerous coasts of Brittany.
In August 1876, the lighthouse was delicately placed on the West Jetty of Honfleur harbour, after a pharaonic construction project. In August 1948, the lighthouse was dismantled, moved and transported to Le Havre, as the port of Honfleur underwent new changes. This lighthouse, straight out of the Eiffel factories in Levallois-Perret (Hauts-de-Seine), . made its entrance and was lit in the Port of Moguériec in 1961. It was to live happily ever after, until 2015, when its demolition was announced.
After an intense battle for the lighthouse’s preservation and restoration, led by the “Sauvons le Phare de Mogueriec” association, it will leave the Breton port in September 2021 for renovation.

The Crézé mission: restoration of the entire Moguériec lighthouse

After suffering extensive damage, the lighthouse was dismantled, straightened and reassembled piece by piece in our workshop in Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande (Ille-et-Vilaine). All the original parts of the lighthouse that we were able to retain were carefully restored by our craftsmen. However, the steel shaft was replaced by stainless steel, a material that is more resistant to corrosion. This experience enabled us to appreciate the work and know-how of an ancient time, and more particularly on a work signed Gustave Eiffel. We were determined to preserve the original style, right down to the smallest detail, to make this historic monument shine. After a year’s work in our workshop, the lighthouse was straightened and returned to its anchorage point.

Twelve Eiffel lighthouses were built for installation in France between 1875 and 1878, and only three remain: Menton, Fromentine (Vendée) and Moguériec.
Crézé is honored to have been chosen to work on such a historic structure. Our restoration work takes us on a journey through time and French history.