Butt of Lewis Lighthouse
| Butt of Lewis Lighthouse | ||
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| Place: | Lewis , Outer Hebrides , Scotland | |
| Location: | Outer Hebrides , Scotland , United Kingdom | |
| Geographical location: | 58 ° 30 '56.3 " N , 6 ° 15' 40.2" W | |
| Fire height : | 52 | |
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| Construction time: | 1862 | |
| Operating time: | since 1862 | |
The Butt of Lewis Lighthouse , German Butt of Lewis lighthouse , is a lighthouse on the Scottish Hebridean island of Lewis . In 1971 the lighthouse was initially included in the Scottish monument lists in category B. In 1998 it was upgraded to the highest category A.
history
David Stevenson , who comes from the well-known Stevenson lighthouse builder family, was responsible for planning the system. Little is known about the history of the lighthouse in the 19th century. It is known that the building was completed and put into operation in 1862. In the early years, the beacon was operated with vegetable or fish oil and then switched to paraffin in 1869 . It is possible that the Butt of Lewis Lighthouse was still sending a continuous signal at that time and not lightning as it is today. The machinery available today was essentially installed in 1905. From the 1930s and until its automation in 1971, radio communications to the Flannan Isles Lighthouse were handled via the Butt of Lewis lighthouse. During the Second World War , an Air Force aircraft attacked the lighthouse and shot it with a machine gun. The facility was electrified in 1976. The associated fog horn was decommissioned in 1995. The Butt of Lewis Lighthouse has been automated since 1998 and is monitored from the Northern Lighthouse Board headquarters in Edinburgh . Previously, three lighthouse keeper families lived in the outbuildings. The lighthouse is also one of the transmission stations for differential GPS . It is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the windiest place in the United Kingdom .
description
The lighthouse is located at Cape Butt of Lewis , which marks the northernmost point of the twin islands of Lewis and Harris . The beacon is at a height of 52 m above sea level, resulting in a range of 25 nautical miles (around 46 km). In the 20th century, the tower's identifier was initially a white flash every 20 seconds. However, the cycle has now been reduced to five seconds. The lighthouse also houses the equipment for monitoring the lighthouses of Flannan Isles, Rona and Sule Skerry and the radio control station for the northern part of the Minch Strait .
The unusually high, round tower is made of unadorned brick. Above the simple entrance door, five windows are installed on one axis. The tower closes with an ordinary lantern. Visually, the red tower forms a strong contrast to the whitewashed outer buildings. These are essentially two complexes with flat roofs , one one-story and one two-story. A quarry stone wall encloses the facility.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
- ^ A b Information from the Northern Lighthouse Board
- ↑ Entry on Butt of Lewis Lighthouse in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)
Web links
- Entry on Butt of Lewis Lighthouse in Canmore, Historic Environment Scotland database