[5] The lighthouse was commissioned by acting Governor of the Cape Colony Sir Rufane Shaw Donkin and designed by German architect Herman Shutte.

[9] In 1926, a foghorn was installed in the lighthouse despite a letter of complaint sent to the Mayor of Cape Town in 1923 by Green Point residents.

[10] The building was commissioned in 1820 by Sir Rufane Shaw Donkin, who was the acting Commissioner of the Cape at the time.

The building of the lighthouse took 3 years as the official governor of the Cape, Lord Charles Somerset had not been consulted and he halted the project.

[5] [11] The rotating beam of the lighthouse was stopped and focused on the wreck of the S.A. Seafearer in order to provide light for the rescue operation when the ship ran aground on 1 July 1966.