In 1860, the official General Lighthouse Authority for the British Empire was called the Imperial Lighthouse Service . It was responsible for the provision and maintenance of navigational aids in all colonies of the British Empire with the exception of England, Wales, Scotland, the Isle of Man, Ireland, Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands. With the end of the British Empire most of these light houses were taken over by the newly independent countries and the Imperial Lighthouse Service stopped its operations by the late 1970s.

The Race Rocks Imperial Lighthouse –photo by Adam Harding

The Imperial Lighthouse of Race Rocks in the Strait of Juan de Fuca was the only stone tower on the Pacific Coast of Canada. It and the smaller brick Imperial Lighthouse at Fisgard Island in Victoria were built as a pair in 1860 after the first Governor of the Vancouver Island, Sir James Douglas petitioning the Imperial Government in Great Britain.

The History of the construction and attempts to have official heritage designation for this Lighthouse are documented in the following files:

Race Rocks History page

Heritage Designation and Protection

1859-2010 Archival Newspapers

Other images of inside the tower and restoration links

The photos below are all copyright of the photographers. They may be used by permission for educational purposes only.