Sumburgh Head Lighthouse is a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

Sumburgh Head Sumburgh Head is a headland located at the southern tip of the Shetland Mainland in northern Scotland. The head consists of a 100 m high rocky spur and topped by the Sumburgh Head Lighthouse. In the Old Norse language, Sumburgh Head was cal ...

at the southern tip of the

Mainland Mainland is defined as "relating to or forming the main part of a country or continent, not including the islands around it egardless of status under territorial jurisdiction by an entity" The term is often politically, economically and/or dem ...

Shetland Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the no ...

History

Sumburgh Foghorn & Lighhouse IMG 4374 (13518803255)

The lighthouse was built by

Robert Stevenson Robert Stevenson may refer to: * Robert Stevenson (actor and politician) (1915–1975), American actor and politician * Robert Stevenson (civil engineer) (1772–1850), Scottish lighthouse engineer * Robert Stevenson (director) (1905–1986), Engl ...

in 1821 and is the oldest lighthouse in Shetland. From 1906 until 1987 there was also an active

foghorn A foghorn or fog signal is a device that uses sound to warn vehicles of navigational hazards such as rocky coastlines, or boats of the presence of other vessels, in foggy conditions. The term is most often used in relation to marine transport. W ...

, which is traversable in azimuth. This replaced a fog bell which had been presented after the loss of the ' in 1864. The bell now hangs in the parish church at

Dunrossness Dunrossness, (Old Norse: ''Dynrastarnes'' meaning "headland of the loud tide-race", referring to the noise of Sumburgh Roost) is the southernmost parish of Shetland, Scotland. Historically the name Dunrossness has usually referred to the area o ...

. The light was automated in 1991 and the keepers' houses were converted into holiday accommodation. The foghorn was restored in 2015 and sounds on special occasion

The lighthouse complex also has offices for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, RSPB who look after the bird reserve which surrounds the lighthouse. 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 marine navigation aids around coastal areas. History The NLB was formed by Act of P ...

operate the light, whilst the

Shetland Amenity Trust The Shetland Amenity Trust is a charitable trust based in Shetland, Scotland. It was formed in 1983. Among the Trust's aims are to preserve and protect the architectural heritage of Shetland and it owns and operates many historical buildings. ...

own the site and plan to restore the lighthouse facilities and build a visitor centre. The lighthouse is protected as a

category A listed building Category, plural categories, may refer to: Philosophy and general uses *Categorization, categories in cognitive science, information science and generally *Category of being *Categories (Aristotle), ''Categories'' (Aristotle) *Category (Kant) ...

References

External links

Sumburgh Head Lighthouse, Visitor Centre and Nature Reserve
- official site

Northern Lighthouse Board
Lighthouses completed in 1821 Lighthouses in Shetland Category A listed buildings in Shetland Category A listed lighthouses Tourist attractions in Shetland Protected areas of Shetland Works of Robert Stevenson (civil engineer) Mainland, Shetland {{UK-lighthouse-stub

History

See also

References

External links