On the last day of my visit we ventured north along the coast of Scotland. Our first stop was in Fraserburgh where we learned about the history of the Lighthouses of Scotland.
The Museum of Scottish Lighthouses, in Fraserburgh, consists of the first lighthouse built on mainland Scotland. The history of lighthouses in Scotland really starts with a small tower on the Island of May. A tower had existed there from the seventeenth century and had been used to warn mariners by burning braziers from its top. On mainland Scotland the tower at Kinnaird Head was the very first to be converted from a castle tower. It is the oldest remaining lighthouse in mainland Scotland.1635 - Isle of May Lighthouse conceived
A Crown Patent was issued in this year to James Maxwell and two brothers, John and Alexander Cunningham, to build a light beacon on the Isle of May. It was a private enterprise and two shillings per ton was charged to Scottish ship owners to keep it lit. This was something of a poor deal because the Isle of May was little more than a naked flame and had dubious value as a navigation aid. The original tower no longer exists but traces of the foundations may still be seen on the island.
1786 Creation of a Northern Lighthouse Trust
The fierce storms in the year 1782 led to the creation of the Northern Lighthouse Trust. Merchant ship owners were convinced that something needed to be done to light the Scottish coastline following serious shipping losses of that year. The Dundee merchant George Dempster agitated for the creation of lighthouses around the coast of Scotland. Following the meeting of a Parliamentary Committee, it was decided that lights were needed at the Mull of Kintyre, Point of Scalpay on the Isle of Harris, North Ronaldsay and Kinnaird Head near Fraserburgh. In 1786 an 'Act for erecting certain lighthouses in the Northern Parts of Great Britain' was passed and the Northern Lighthouse Trustees were created. Nineteen members from various walks of life were appointed as Trustees. This organisation eventually became what is now known as the Northern Lighthouse Board.
1787 Alterations to Kinnaird Head lantern completed
Thomas Smith, an Edinburgh tinsmith had invented a series of parabolic reflectors and lamps that could be used from a fixed position. In 1786 the Trustees of the Northern Lighthouses decided to purchase Kinnaird Head castle from the Fraser family and erect their light there. Smith was appointed engineer to the Trustees after being sent to study under an English engineer, Ezekiel Walker. The lantern that he created on the top of the castle was composed of seventeen reflectors, burning whale oil, and was fixed inside a small tower. It was made in Edinburgh and shipped to Fraserburgh. The light was first illuminated for mariners on 1 December 1787.
1822 August Fresnel invents a new type of lens
The Frenchman August Fresnel was the first to develop the refracting lens in which light is collected over an angle and bent into the horizontal. It did not use a single central bull's eye but instead it was split into horizontal layers. Fresnel toured Scotland and was a friend of Alan Stevenson. The lens he invented still bears his name.
A Crown Patent was issued in this year to James Maxwell and two brothers, John and Alexander Cunningham, to build a light beacon on the Isle of May. It was a private enterprise and two shillings per ton was charged to Scottish ship owners to keep it lit. This was something of a poor deal because the Isle of May was little more than a naked flame and had dubious value as a navigation aid. The original tower no longer exists but traces of the foundations may still be seen on the island.
1786 Creation of a Northern Lighthouse Trust
The fierce storms in the year 1782 led to the creation of the Northern Lighthouse Trust. Merchant ship owners were convinced that something needed to be done to light the Scottish coastline following serious shipping losses of that year. The Dundee merchant George Dempster agitated for the creation of lighthouses around the coast of Scotland. Following the meeting of a Parliamentary Committee, it was decided that lights were needed at the Mull of Kintyre, Point of Scalpay on the Isle of Harris, North Ronaldsay and Kinnaird Head near Fraserburgh. In 1786 an 'Act for erecting certain lighthouses in the Northern Parts of Great Britain' was passed and the Northern Lighthouse Trustees were created. Nineteen members from various walks of life were appointed as Trustees. This organisation eventually became what is now known as the Northern Lighthouse Board.
1787 Alterations to Kinnaird Head lantern completed
Thomas Smith, an Edinburgh tinsmith had invented a series of parabolic reflectors and lamps that could be used from a fixed position. In 1786 the Trustees of the Northern Lighthouses decided to purchase Kinnaird Head castle from the Fraser family and erect their light there. Smith was appointed engineer to the Trustees after being sent to study under an English engineer, Ezekiel Walker. The lantern that he created on the top of the castle was composed of seventeen reflectors, burning whale oil, and was fixed inside a small tower. It was made in Edinburgh and shipped to Fraserburgh. The light was first illuminated for mariners on 1 December 1787.
1822 August Fresnel invents a new type of lens
The Frenchman August Fresnel was the first to develop the refracting lens in which light is collected over an angle and bent into the horizontal. It did not use a single central bull's eye but instead it was split into horizontal layers. Fresnel toured Scotland and was a friend of Alan Stevenson. The lens he invented still bears his name.
1853 Electric Illumination used in lighthouses for the first timeProfessor Holmes constructs a magneto-electro machine allowing electric arc light to be used for the first time in lighthouses. Between 1862-1879 the electric arc was installed in the UK, the Isle of May lighthouse receiving it in this period.
http://picasaweb.google.com/mtwildflower/LighthouseMuseum
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