Where
was the first Scottish Lighthouse?
The
earliest mention of a lighthouse in Scotland
is in 1635, when Charles I Granted a patent to
James Maxwell of Innerwick and John Cunninghame
of Barnes to erect a lighthouse on the Isle of
May, at the mouth of the Firth of Forth, and
collect, at the rate of 1½d. per ton for
Scotch vessels and double that rate for foreigners,
duties from shipping for its maintenance. This
patent was ratified by the Scots Parliament in
1641. The method of lighting was by a coal fire.
(In 1814 the Commissioners purchased the Isle
of May with the lighthouse thereon and all interests
in light dues for the sum of £60,000).
The
Board established a new lighthouse on the Isle
of May in 1816, which was engineered by Robert
Stevenson. It was automated in 1989 and it now
remotely monitored by the Board's Headquarters
in George Street, Edinburgh. It has a character
of flashing (2) White every 15 seconds and a
range of 22 miles.
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First Lighthouse established by
the Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses
The
first Lighthouse established by the Commissioners
of Northern Lighthouses was Kinnaird Head, Fraserburgh,
the light from which was first exhibited on 1
December 1787, James Park, shipmaster, was appointed
keeper of the light, at 1s. per night, with the
benefit of some ground, on condition the he has
another person with him every night, who he is
to instruct in the manner of cleaning the lantern
and cleaning and lighting the lamps.
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Which is the tallest Scottish Lighthouse?
Skerryvore
Lighthouse which marks a very extensive and treacherous
reef of rocks lying in the sea off the Hebrides
some 10 or 11 miles south west of Tiree. It was
built of granite quarried on the Island of Mull
during the six years from 1838 to 1844, to the
design of Alan Stevenson, Engineer and constitutes
an outstanding example of lighthouse engineering.
The beautiful symmetry of the outline of the
tower, the proportions of which are a height
of 156ft (48 metres) with diameter of 42ft at
the base tapering to 16ft at the top, ranks it
amongst the most graceful of all lighthouse towers;
it is even asserted by some that it is the worlds
most graceful lighthouse.
Click
for image of Skerryvore Lighthouse
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Which
was the last manned lighthouse in Scotland?
The
Board's automation programme was completed on
31 March 1998. Fair Isle South Lighthouse in
Shetland was Scotland's last manned lighthouse.
Click
here for an image of Fair Isle South
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How
is the Board Funded?
The Northern Lighthouse Board, together with Trinity House (England, Wales
and the Channel Isles) and the Commissioners of Irish Lights (Eire and
Northern Ireland) are the General Lighthouse Authorities for the United
Kingdom and Ireland. Running costs are met from a "General Lighthouse
Fund", financed by the collection of Light Dues paid by commercial
ships calling at British and Irish ports, and by fishing vessels over 10
metres in length. The fund, although administered by the Department for
Transport, Local Government and the Regions, is entirely self-financing,
and receives no grant from the Exchequer. The powers and duties of the
General Lighthouse Authorities are laid down in the Merchant Shipping Act
of 1995.
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Who
was the first Engineer to the Board?
The First Engineer to the Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses was Thomas
Smith, who was step-father of Robert Stevenson, was appointed Engineer
on 22 January 1787. Prior to this appointment he had been a whiteironsmith
and manufacturer of lamps in Edinburgh. He held this position until 1804,
when he was succeeded by Robert Stevenson.
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How do I trace my lighthouse
relatives?
If
If you want to carry out research on the Northern Lighthouse Board or are trying to trace your family tree and think you have lighthouse connections, you will need to know how to access to the Boards Archival Records.
The
Northern Lighthouse Board's archive records are
now on deposit at The NATIONAL ARCHIVES of SCOTLAND.
They have a comprehensive website, which can
be visited on http://www.nas.gov.uk or
you can contact them at HM General Register House,
Edinburgh, EH1 3YY Tel: 0131 535 1314 Fax 0131
535 1360.
You can also contact The Museum of Scottish Lighthouses at Fraserburgh who can assist you trace your "lighthouse relatives". They can be visited on www.lighthousemuseum.org.uk
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What area does the Board cover?
The
Board is responsible for Scotland and the Isle
of Man. This area covers half the waters and
coastline of the United Kingdom, together with
the majority of offshore manned oil installations.
The area is subject to severe weather conditions
for many months of the year. The approximate
length of this coastline is 6,214 miles (10,000km)
a land area of 30,405sq miles (77,700 sq km)
and 790 islands. * Source Scottish Statistics
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How many lighthouses and other aids
to navigation are the Board responsible for?
The
Board is responsible for: -
208 lights
166 buoys
34 unlit beacons
27 racon sites
9 AIS stations
4 DGPS
1 eLoran
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How
many ships does the Board operate?
For
the delivery of stores and supplies, buoyworking and the
statutory inspection of the navigation aids on oil rigs in
the Scottish sector, the Northern Lighthouse Board has two
ships. NLV PHAROS and NLV
POLE STAR (1174 gross tons, commissioned 2000) based
at Oban.
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Are
there any lighthouses open to the public?
Open
to the Public
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Is
it possible to stay at a lighthouse?
You
can stay in the former Lightkeepers cottage at some Scottish
lighthouses. These are available for rent through the National
Trust for Scotland. Telephone them on 0131 243 9331 or
e-mail holidays@nts.org.uk
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- Live WebCam at Mull of Galloway