Cape Wrath Lighthouse on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Cape Wrath Lighthouse at Cape Wrath was built in 1828 by Robert Stevenson and was manned until 1998, when it was converted to automatic operation by the
Northern Lighthouse Board. Retrieved 2013-02-05.Carter.M (2011
My travels: Mike Carter in Cape Wrath, Scotland
''The Guardian'', 2011-07-01. Retrieved 2013-02-05. It is located at the most North-Westerly point on the British mainland, in the traditional county of Sutherland within
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 2013-02-05.Outline development plan for Cape Wrath
, Highlands and Islands social enterprise zone, August 2013. Retrieved 2014-02-18. The light, which is above sea level, is visible for .
Engineering timelines. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 2013-02-05. The lighthouse and its associated buildings are designated as a Category A
A slipway was built in 1827, prior to construction of the lighthouse, at Clais Charnach, a steep sided gully around south-east of the lighthouse.Calis Charnach Slipway
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 2013-02-05. This was used during the building of the lighthouse to supply materials along a rough road and was the main landing point for supplies and stores during the manned operation of the lighthouse, although from 1977 onwards helicopters were also used for resupply. Store buildings were constructed at the same time, one of which is still in use by the Ministry of Defence. The slipway was extended and rebuilt in around 1863 and remains in use as a landing site for the lighthouse. The access road from the
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 2013-02-05. The lighthouse is now considered to be the end of the Cape Wrath Trail, an approximately 200 mile long very rugged walking trail from Fort William.
Northern Lighthouse Board
{{Authority control Lighthouses completed in 1828 Category A listed lighthouses Category A listed buildings in Highland (council area) Parish of Durness Works of Robert Stevenson (civil engineer)
Northern Lighthouse Board
The Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) is the general lighthouse authority for Scotland and the Isle of Man. It is a non-departmental public body responsible for marine navigation aids around coastal areas.
History
The NLB was formed by Act of P ...
.Cape WrathNorthern Lighthouse Board. Retrieved 2013-02-05.Carter.M (2011
My travels: Mike Carter in Cape Wrath, Scotland
''The Guardian'', 2011-07-01. Retrieved 2013-02-05. It is located at the most North-Westerly point on the British mainland, in the traditional county of Sutherland within
Highland Region
Highland ( gd, A' Ghàidhealtachd, ; sco, Hieland) is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in the United Kingdom. It was the 7th most populous council area in Scotland at the 2011 census. It share ...
. Durness is the closest village, to the south-east with Inverness around to the south.
Overlooking the Cape are the ruins of the Lloyd's signal station, which was used to monitor shipping and was built in the 19th century.Cape Wrath, Dunan Mor, Signalling StationRoyal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 2013-02-05.Outline development plan for Cape Wrath
, Highlands and Islands social enterprise zone, August 2013. Retrieved 2014-02-18. The light, which is above sea level, is visible for .
History
The lighthouse was built in 1828. Due to its height the light was often obscured by low cloud or fog and in the early 20th century plans were drawn up to build an additional low light. This involved the construction of tunnels into the headland, bridges and building on the very tip of the rocks below the headland. Plans were drawn up by David Alan Stevenson, Robert's grandson and work began in 1913 but was suspended at the start of World War I and never restarted. The light was originally a paraffin lamp with red and white reflectors. This was replaced by mercury vapour lamps in 1978 and in 1980 an electrical temporary power beam was installed with a gear less pedestal and array system later in the same year. The fog-horn at the site was discontinued in 2001.Current display
The currentlight characteristic
A light characteristic is all of the properties that make a particular navigational light identifiable. Graphical and textual descriptions of navigational light sequences and colours are displayed on nautical charts and in Light Lists with the cha ...
is four white flashes every 30 seconds (Fl(4).W.30s) and is visible for . The optics are a first order Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens developed by the French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788–1827) for use in lighthouses. It has been called "the invention that saved a million ships."
The design allows the c ...
and the light has a power rating of 200,000 candela.Cape Wrath LighthouseEngineering timelines. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
Buildings and access routes
The lighthouse is a tall white-washed tower built of granite with a single storey semi-circular base building. A number of lighthouse keepers cottages and store buildings are located near to the lighthouse, with the complex surrounded by a perimeter wall.Cape Wrath LighthouseRoyal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 2013-02-05. The lighthouse and its associated buildings are designated as a Category A
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
. Much of the material for the lighthouse was quarried locally during construction, particularly from Clais Charnach.
A complex of buildings was built close to the lighthouse by Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's of London, generally known simply as Lloyd's, is an insurance and reinsurance market located in London, England. Unlike most of its competitors in the industry, it is not an insurance company; rather, Lloyd's is a corporate body gove ...
as a signal station between 1894 and 1903. These buildings, which are Category B listed buildings, form one of the few remaining sites of Lloyds signal stations in the UK. The signal station was built to track shipping around Cape Wrath and was closed in 1932, although the site was reused in 1939 as an observation post at the outbreak of World War II. A new coastguard station was built next to the signalling station in the 1940s for wartime use. The signal station and coastguard station buildings are largely derelict.
A slipway was built in 1827, prior to construction of the lighthouse, at Clais Charnach, a steep sided gully around south-east of the lighthouse.Calis Charnach SlipwayRoyal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 2013-02-05. This was used during the building of the lighthouse to supply materials along a rough road and was the main landing point for supplies and stores during the manned operation of the lighthouse, although from 1977 onwards helicopters were also used for resupply. Store buildings were constructed at the same time, one of which is still in use by the Ministry of Defence. The slipway was extended and rebuilt in around 1863 and remains in use as a landing site for the lighthouse. The access road from the
Kyle of Durness
Kyle of Durness is a coastal inlet on the north coast of Scotland in the county of Sutherland. It extends inland from Balnakeil and divides the Cape Wrath peninsula from the mainland.Groome.F.H (1885) 'Parish of Durness', ''Ordnance Gazetteer ...
was built to support the lighthouse in 1828.Kyle of Durness to Cape Wrath lighthouseRoyal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 2013-02-05. The lighthouse is now considered to be the end of the Cape Wrath Trail, an approximately 200 mile long very rugged walking trail from Fort William.
See also
*List of lighthouses in Scotland
This is a list of lighthouses in Scotland. The Northern Lighthouse Board, from which much of the information is derived, are responsible for most lighthouses in Scotland but have handed over responsibility in the major estuaries to the port aut ...
* List of Northern Lighthouse Board lighthouses
This is a list of the currently operational lighthouses of the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB). The list is divided by geographical location, and then by whether the lighthouses are classed by the NLB as a 'major lighthouse' or a 'minor light'. F ...
References
External links
Northern Lighthouse Board
{{Authority control Lighthouses completed in 1828 Category A listed lighthouses Category A listed buildings in Highland (council area) Parish of Durness Works of Robert Stevenson (civil engineer)