Le Phare de Walde

The Walde lighthouse has two particularities: it is the last metal lighthouse in France and it marks the geographical limit between the North Sea and the English Channel. 

It was put into service in 1859. The shore to the east of the port of Calais was dangerous for ships because of numerous sandbanks. The construction of a lighthouse was necessary… and complicated! The sandy bottoms covered by the tides did not allow the construction of a stone lighthouse. The engineers then used the process of the Irish engineer Alexandre Mitchell, the screw pile. These piles adapt and resist soft ground. In addition, this type of lighthouse is quick to build and less expensive than a stone lighthouse. Metal lighthouses were common before falling into disuse. The Walde lighthouse remains the only witness to this ingenuity!

The Walde lighthouse originally had a platform with a balcony surrounding the lantern. The light signal was automated in 1897. At that time, the lighthouse was 18 metres high and at its highest point, it towered over the sea by 11 metres.

It has not been in service since 2001 and its silhouette continues to dominate the beach of La Huchette. It is the subject of many photographers. Depending on the tides, it can be surrounded by water or spotted on the horizon of an immense expanse of sand! 

The inhabitants of Calais XXL are very attached to the Walde lighthouse! It has been listed as a Historic Monument since 2022 and there is a clear desire to save it from its main danger, corrosion.