Pladda Lighthouse is an active 18th century
lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Ligh ...
situated at the southern end of the island of
Pladda
Pladda () is an uninhabited island off the south coast of the Isle of Arran in the Firth of Clyde at , western Scotland. It is home to the automated Pladda Lighthouse. The island is privately owned, having been put up for sale by Arran Estate in ...
in western Scotland. The lighthouse dates from 1790 and was designed by
Thomas Smith. It was the first light on the Clyde to be commissioned by the
Commissioners of the Northern Lights. It had both an upper and a lower light to distinguish it from the three other lighthouses in the
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde, is the estuary of the River Clyde, on the west coast of Scotland. The Firth has some of the deepest coastal waters of the British Isles. The Firth is sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre, Kintyre Peninsula. The ...
.
In 1876, Pladda was about the third station to have a foghorn. The "double lights" were replaced by a powerful flashing system in 1901. Lightkeepers were withdrawn in 1990 when the lighthouse was automated; it is now remotely monitored from the
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 ocean, marine navigation aids around coastal areas.
History
The NLB was formed by ...
's headquarters in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
.
The lighthouse tower is in height; there are 128 steps to the top. Under normal conditions, its light (three white flashes every 30 seconds) is visible for .
In popular culture
Pladda and its lighthouse feature extensively in Peter Hill's 2003 book ''
Stargazing: Memoirs of a Young Lighthouse Keeper''. They were also filming locations for "Queen Victoria Syndrome", the first episode of season 5 of ''
The Crown
The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...
''.
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 ...
Notes
External links
Northern Lighthouse Board
Lighthouses completed in 1790
Towers completed in 1790
Lighthouses of Scottish islands
1790 establishments in Scotland
Geography of North Ayrshire
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