The lighthouse was modeled after an actual lighthouse at Sea Cow Head, on the shores of Prince Edward Island.   Periodically, the Sullivan team would go to the island and shoot scenes outside of the lighthouse with photo doubles of the children outside.

But in order to include the lighthouse in many more scenes, the production team made a replicate of the Sea Cow Head lighthouse and built it on the Road to Avonlea set at Coppins Corners, in Uxbridge, Ontario.  They would shoot scenes from low angles to give the illusion that there was a cliff nearby and if viewers ever see the real cast with the sea behind them, it means that green screen technology was used for that shot.  A studio set was used for interior scenes.

For episodes that required stunts, they had a “stunts lighthouse”, which was actually a shorter version of the lighthouse.  This “stunts lighthouse” came into play in one of the most memorable episodes that featured the lighthouse: Season 2’s “The Sea Ghost”, which starred famous British actor Michael York as the eccentric sea captain, Ezekiel Crane.  In this episode, Gus actually dangles over the edge of the lighthouse while a climactic fight ensues atop the lookout ledge.

Stay tuned for more weekly behind-the-scenes information on your favourite locations in Road to Avonlea!