It lies on the rock known as Gorlebella (Breton for "farthest rock"), guiding mariners in the strait Raz de Sein, across from the companion lighthouse Tourelle de la Plate—also known as Petite Vieille ("Little Old Woman"). It is among the small class of lighthouses around the coasts of France carrying the moniker "hell", due to a remote position in rough seas.
Initial planning talks began as early as 1861, though the construction project was not confirmed until twenty years later. Fierce tides limited the period in which building work could take place to less than half of each year. After five years, construction was complete and its beam first shone in 1887. The light is occulting, with a range of 18 nautical miles (33 km); a foghorn was installed in the early twentieth century.
La Vieille achieved notoriety in the 1920s when two disabled war veterans were stranded there for weeks by storms, their health deteriorating. They were employed under a new law reserving the job of lighthouse keeper to those who had served in the war. The tremendous difficulties experienced in getting them back to shore led to the repeal of the new law. In 1995 it was the penultimate French lighthouse to become automated, a process delayed due to the keepers on-site staging a protest against the task being carried out.
On 30 November 1861, the French Commission des Phares (the Lighthouse Commission) decided in favour of constructing a "3rd order" lighthouse on Gorlebella rock, inviting engineers to carry out a pilot study the following year. The study was postponed, however, due to funding difficulties as well as other construction projects such as Ar Men having just begun.
The project resumed ten years later, but the Service des Phares (Lighthouse Service) director was forced to admit on 1 June 1872 that "construction of a lighthouse on La Vieille will be postponed for the foreseeable future, and the difficulties encountered in embarking on the rock could even see it abandoned altogether". A Commission des Phares meeting convened on 14 January 1873 agreed that "the exceptional difficulties that this public work presents compels us to postpone the project, particularly given the presence of similar work being undertaken on the rock of Ar Men".
In the meantime the lanterns of nearby Phare de Tévennec and Raz—lit in 1874, partially compensated for the continuing lack of a lighthouse.
Construction was preceded by a series of feasibility studies. In 1879, the first of five landings at the rock was carried out, during which currents and ease of docking at the site were assessed. Fishermen from the Île de Sein, begrudgingly or otherwise, successfully established the first mooring points. Six cubic metres of stonework were built for the base, with the help of stonemasons who had already worked on the lighthouse of Ar Men. This enabled the rock to be boarded from the north-east.
The following year, a dozen more landings were carried out. Mooring rings and securing bars were implanted, which acted as a solid base that could subsequently be used as a landing platform for building materials. This foundation was built out of 37 cubic metres of stone work.
The Minister of Public Works, Sadi Carnot, issued a statement on 29 January 1881 that "from information gathered and results obtained during the 1879–80 initiatives, it is clear we can establish a lighthouse on the rock of Vieille, with the amount to be spent in alignment with the services required." A credit of 100,000 francs was approved in April 1882.
Although the project had been given the go ahead, the conditions promised a difficult road ahead. In this area of the sea, strong currents surround the rock of Gorlebella almost permanently, due to its location in the direction of the currents. Its few sheltered areas are accessible only for short periods.
Shallow waters lay to the south. Toward the east and west currents ranging from 6–15 knots prevent mooring. Consequently, La Vieille could only be approached from the north side, and even then only during the three days either side of the quarter moon, if the sea is perfectly calm. In rough seas, whirlpools of 40 to 50 metres can be present.
Despite these obstacles, construction turned out less dangerous than at Ar Men. This is due to the fact the rock juts 14 metres above high tide. This shape made it possible to erect a solid 20 metre by 10 metre platform.
Fenoux, the engineer holding responsibility for the lighthouse construction, estimated work could take place for five months per year, made up of two days of good weather each quarter moon, amounting to about 30 landings yearly.
Firm commitment by the Minister of Public Works to construction of the lighthouse finally came on 29 January 1881, after two years of assessment. Work commenced at Île de Sein, where the raw materials (stone) were stored. The engineer in charge of overseeing the works, Probestau, set up home on the island. Since the construction of La Vieille followed Ar Men, the team were able to draw on a wealth of experience. Each year on the first of May, workmen would arrive at the island in a small steam-powered boat towing a longboat laden with construction materials, as well as rowboats for landing. Anchorages set up allowed the team to moor the steamboat and longboat.
Three deadweights in the south-west of the rock were laid down, to dock the boat nearby during flot and ebb tides. A mooring buoy floated a short distance from the steamboat. The steamer anchored at nearby Cap Sizun stood ready to intervene at the slightest signal if the spring tides rose too high.
In the first landings the team erected a small stone shelter, in a hollow to the east of the rock. This housed the workers, their food, and their tools, allowing the team to work on the rock uninterrupted, whenever weather allowed.
On 5 August 1882, work began on the masonry structure. The tower, its base, and part of the interior were finished in 1886, after three seasons of work. The stonework was reinforced with Portland cement from Boulogne mixed with seawater for the base, but with freshwater for the rest of the building. The remaining interior work was finished in 1887.
The feasibility studies and construction were directed from 1879 to 1885 by the engineer in chief of the Ponts et Chaussées, named Fenoux. He was replaced from 1886–1887 by Considere. They were assisted by an engineer named Miniac, who was resident at the site throughout its development. The date of completion (1887) is inscribed on the tower.
The lamp at La Vieille was first lit on 15 September 1887.
The architecture of La Vieille was designed to be aesthetically pleasing, yet sufficiently distinct to minimise confusion with the nearby tower Tévennec. Its shape is a squat quadrilateral, with slight crenellations. The tower is square and semi-cylindrical on the north face, widening toward the base. The structure of the lighthouse was built in stone using bosses of grey granite quarried from the Île de Sein, while the upper part of the tower and corners were built from coated cinder blocks of blue kersantite.
The lower floors are rusticated; the rusticated stone continues as quoining to the upper floors, contrasting with the smoother ashlar masonry. The stone balustrades of the tower gallery are supported by corbelling with modillion cornicing. The lantern is covered with a black zinc domed roof, while the light itself is enclosed.
The interior is constructed for efficiency. Water tanks are on the ground floor along with miscellaneous equipment. Upstairs are four rooms for petrol (originally diesel) tanks, a kitchen, lounge and sleeping quarters, respectively. Under the lantern, a small room houses generators.
A daughter tower known as Temperley was installed for use as an embarkation platform during summer 1926. It has been dismantled since the automation of the lighthouse in November 1995. Now, access to the lighthouse is by helicopter.
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