Cookhouse and lighthouse, Assens Harbour

Facts

Cast-iron lighthouses

By Henrik Harnow, Museumsinspektør, Ph.D., Odense Bys Museer (18 stories)

The small whitewashed cookhouse on the harbour in Assens was built in 1824 to avoid naked flames onboard ships. The hazard was great, since fire was likely to spread from one vessel to the next in the harbour. The cookhouse was made a listed building in 1954. It was moved and reconstructed at its current site in 1971. The lighthouse at the harbour was built in 1854 as part of the expansion of the Danish lighthouse authority. This is Denmark's first lighthouse of cast iron, and is constructed from cast sheets bolted together. The lighthouse, with its modest height of seven metres, bears the cast monogram of King Frederik VII.

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Leading light of the new lighthouse authority

Story written by Henrik Harnow

Time / Periode 1824 1854

3 Comments 1 recommendations

In the mid-1800s, the lighthouse authority was expanded with larger lighthouses along the main sea lanes. The 1830s-40s also saw the building of smaller lighthouses at the many new harbours. One individual especially headed this expansion programme. Carl Frederik Grove was one of the nation's first highly qualified engineers to graduate from the polytechnic in Copenhagen. In 1852 he was appointed Inspector for the Lighthouse Authority", a position he held until his death. Grove was responsible for a large number of lighthouse construction projects. From the papers preserved by the National Archives, it emerges that he was interested in using cast iron for lighthouses from an early stage. The lighthouse in Assens was his very first attempt at using the new construction material. In 1869, Grove presented the first survey of the development of the Danish lighthouse authority in his treatise "For Idea and Feasibility". "

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ALWYN PETRUS GROVé , more than 2 years ago

Very interesting, but I would like to add te following. Apparently in the genealogic records of Denmark, the name of Peder Pedersen Grové[1530 - 1599] is mentioned as being a Dutch General at that time. He had a son Jens Pedersen Grové[1585 - 1639] According to a Danish Geneoligist, dr Peter Grové, Jens was the first person to take on the name grové. He and his farther and grandfather live near the little town Grové. Jen was apprently the director of lightshouses and in his time of office, his attempt to improve lighthouses, was a great success. Significant that the Grové faily was still keeping them busy in this line 200 years later. I am Alwyn Grové from Kleinmond South Africa that have alwats taken an interest in my family tree. A.P.GROVé