Press Releases - Back to Press

Mull of Galloway Lighthouse Attracts European Study Group

On Tuesday 14 September the Northern Lighthouse Board are taking a group of European delegates on a study visit to the Mull of Galloway Lighthouse and Visitors Centre.

The delegates are all part of the ATLANTIC LIGHTHOUSE PROJECT (AT –LIGHTS) which is an EU-funded project involving participants from France, Ireland, Spain (including the Canary Islands) and the United Kingdom. The purpose of the Project is to learn about activities using lighthouse property for other uses to help preserve these historic buildings.

Before the group travel to the Mull of Galloway they will get together in Edinburgh for their formal meeting, where participants will exchange information and learn about the different approaches to public access and making use of surplus accommodation at lighthouses on the Atlantic Coast. The work of the AT-LIGHTS Project Group has attracted EU Funding and the Northern Lighthouse Board has been successful in securing some money for the interpretation of some of its sites on the West Coast of Scotland, they also hope to install webcams at some lights which would be relay images through their website www.nlb.org.uk or to associated Visitor Centres.

The Northern Lighthouse Board will share the experiences they have had with the opening to the public of the Mull of Galloway Lighthouse in 2002, which is a joint venture with the South Rhins Development Trust and how they plan to refurbish and develop this popular visitor attraction.

Notes to the Editor

Mull of Galloway Lighthouse
The Mull of Galloway Lighthouse was opened to the public for the first time in August 2002 for tours on Saturday & Sundays (1000 - 1530) from April - September. The tower built by Robert Stevenson, in 1830, stands on the most southerly point on the Scottish coast, from here you can see Ireland's Antrim Hills and Mountains of Mourne, the Cumbrian coast and the Machars and along the ridge of Mona's Isle on the Isle of Man. It is an automatic lighthouse and is owned and operated by the Northern Lighthouse Board.

Summary of Atlantic Lights Project
The main objective of the AT-LIGHTS project is to make use of the architectural and cultural heritage that the lighthouses represent, mainly with the aim of using them again for other purposes (whether cultural, social, tourist or economic). The project is divided into four distinct and complementary approaches, the objectives of which are as follows:
· To promote the opening and re-use of the lighthouse ·To improve the conditions of access and security ·To encourage the promotion of our territories, making use of the common image of lighthouses ·To launch pilot and demonstrative projects with small infrastructure that ensure the visibility and impact of the project in the short term.

1. The Northern Lighthouse Board operates under statute - the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 - and is the General Lighthouse Authority for Scotland and the Isle of Man.

2. The Board currently operates: 207 Lighthouses, 144 Buoys, 46 Beacons, 4 Differential Global Positioning System Stations, 22 Radar Beacons and 12 Fog Signals.

3. The Northern Lighthouse Board is funded entirely from the General Lighthouse Fund, sourced by "Light Dues", a levy paid by shipping. The Board receives no direct funding from the Exchequer or taxpayer.

4. The other General Lighthouse Authorities are the Commissioners of Irish Lights (Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland) and Trinity House Lighthouse Service (England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar).

5. The Northern Lighthouse Board is certificated to ISO9001:2000 standard for the provision of navigational aid services to seafarers and other organisations around the coast of Scotland and Isle of Man. Certification covers the design and maintenance of navigational aids and systems, logistical support and associated technical services including consultancy. The Board is also certified to The International Safety Management Code, (ISM Code) in respect of our ships and marine management systems

For further information, please contact:

Northern Lighthouse Board
Lorna Hunter, Information Officer
Tel 0131 473 3100
Mobile 07831 635393
Fax 0131 220 2093
Email: enquiries@nlb.org.uk
www.nlb.org.uk

Back to Press