New Shingles for Lion’s Head Lighthouse

Joanne Rodgers,
Bruce Peninsula Press

Remedial work to reshingle the Lion’s Head Lighthouse started on 24 September 2026.

The current lighthouse was erected in September, 2020 after the previous lighthouse was destroyed during a winter storm in January 2020.

There was no question in the minds of the community that the lighthouse, an iconic landmark of Lion’s Head, had to be rebuilt.

Doug Hill says he and Brian Swanton had just completed the shingle siding in October 2020, when the lighthouse was again bombarded by waves and rocks. The newly installed siding was damaged to the point that the building paper and plywood sheathing were exposed to the elements.

With the onset of winter, a decision was made by municipal staff to install puck board on the lower one-third of the lighthouse. This was to be a temporary solution. Six years later the puck board was still covering the lighthouse.

When the puck board was removed, damage to the underlying sheathing was discovered. Five sheets of plywood had to be removed and new ones installed. Doug was also surprised to find that some stones found their way under the sheathing.

Doug says the puck board was a great temporary fix, but doesn’t believe anyone intended it to remain as long as it had. The good news, he says, is that it was replaced before there was damage to the actual framing members. He described it as “not a major repair.”

One of the original builders of the lighthouse, Doug worked with municipal staff to replace the puck board with surplus shingles from the 2020 build. 

Shingles were replaced on two sides, approximately seven feet up starting at the concrete base. Changes were made to the way the shingles were installed in an effort to mitigate similar damage when the water levels rise again.