Lighthouse Lives is a film commissioned by the Northern Lighthouse Heritage Trust and is the culmination of a 9 year oral history project, in partnership with the School of Scottish Studies Archives.

Historian and storyteller Erin Farley recorded the testimony and stories of the men and women who worked for the Northern Lighthouse Board through a time of transition from manned to automated lighthouses.

Resonant voices and visual imagery give an authentic glimpse of lives lived against a backdrop of unusual circumstance. What was life actually like for the Keepers and their families working in the service of the Northern Lighthouse Board?

Thank you to Erin Farley, and film makers Martine Robertson and Colin Gately for making this happen and for creating such a wonderful, emotional and thought provoking film.

Lighthouse Lives on Tour

During 2023 and 2024, Lighthouse Lives toured coastal communities in Scotland and was seen by audiences from the Mull of Galloway in the south of Scotland to Shetland in the north.

You can now watch Lighthouse Lives on our YouTube channel.