Portal:Scotland/Selected article/Week 34, 2008



Bell Rock Lighthouse is the world's oldest surviving sea-washed lighthouse and was built on Bell Rock (also known as Inchcape) in the North Sea, 12 miles (18 km) off the coast of Angus, Scotland, east of the Firth of Tay. Standing at 35 m high, the light is visible from 35 statute miles (55 km) inland.

According to legend, the rock is called Bell Rock because of a 14th century attempt by the abbot from Arbroath to install a warning bell on it. The rock was the scene of many shipwrecks as it lies just below the surface of the sea for all but a few hours at low tide.

By the turn of the 18th century, it was estimated that the rocks were responsible for the wrecking of up to six ships every winter. The Scottish engineer Robert Stevenson had proposed the construction of a lighthouse on Bell Rock in 1799, but cost concerns and the relatively radical nature of his proposal caused it to be shelved. However, the loss of the warship HMS York in 1804 resulted in legislation being passed in Parliament in 1806 enabling construction to begin.

The lighthouse was built by Stevenson between 1807 and 1810 and the lamp was first lit on 1 February 1811. The design has some similarities to the earlier Eddystone Lighthouse designed by John Smeaton which was also built on an offshore reef using interlocking stones, but also contained many new features. The masonry work on which the light house rests was constructed to such a high standard that it has not been replaced or adapted in almost 200 years.