This is a list of lighthouses in Scotland. The Northern Lighthouse Board, from which much of the information is derived, [1] are responsible for most lighthouses in Scotland but have handed over responsibility in the major estuaries to the port authorities. Many of the more minor lights are not shown. A lighthouse that is no longer operating is indicated by the date of closure in the operated by column. Where two dates are shown, the lighthouse has been rebuilt.
Nearly all the lighthouses in this list were designed by and most were built by four generations of one family, including Thomas Smith, who was both the stepfather and father-in-law of Robert Stevenson. Robert's sons and grandsons not only built most of the lights, often under the most appalling of conditions, but pioneered many of the improvements in lighting and signalling that cut down the enormous loss of life in shipping around the coasts of Scotland. [2]
The table may be sorted by any column by clicking on the heading.
Robert Stevenson, FRSE, FGS, FRAS, FSA Scot, MWS was a Scottish civil engineer, and designer and builder of lighthouses. His works include the Bell Rock Lighthouse.
Holborn Head is a headland on the north-facing Atlantic coast of Caithness, in the Highland area of Scotland. The point of Holborn Head is at 58°37′23″N03°32′06″W. It has a lighthouse at its south end and the remains of an old fort at its tip.
The Sound of Jura is a Sound in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is one of the several Sounds of Scotland. It is to the east of the island of Jura and the west of Knapdale, in the north of the Kintyre Peninsula, of the Scottish mainland. Lochs that lead to the sound include Loch Sween, and Loch Killisport. It is not to be confused with the Sound of Islay, which lies between Jura and Islay. Most of Jura's small population lives on the east coast, overlooking the sound.
Elcho Castle is located close to the south bank of the River Tay approximately four miles south-east of Perth, Scotland, in the region of Perth and Kinross. It was maintained by Clan Wemyss from its construction around 1560 until it was put into the care of the Secretary of State for Scotland in the early 20th century, though was not occupied for the entire time. In around 1830 it was re-roofed and a nearby cottage constructed. The castle has been a scheduled monument since 1920 on the grounds of being "a particularly fine example of a Medieval tower-house", and the cottage became a listed building in 1971 in recognition of its national importance. The castle is unusual in that it has both en suite guest accommodation like a mansion, but also a large number of gun loops.
Tarbat is a civil parish in Highland, Scotland, in the north-east corner of Ross and Cromarty.
Covesea Skerries Lighthouse, originally belonging to the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB), is built on top of a small headland on the south coast of the Moray Firth at Covesea, near Lossiemouth, Moray, Scotland.
The Shetland Amenity Trust is a charitable trust based in Shetland, Scotland. It was formed in 1983.
Barns Ness Lighthouse is 3.1 miles (5 km) from Dunbar and was constructed by the engineers and brothers David A. Stevenson and Charles Alexander Stevenson, cousins of the novelist Robert Louis Stevenson, between 1899 and 1901. Taking approximately 2½ years to construct, it was constructed from stone quarried from Craigree and Barnton. In 1976 it was described as a tall tower, slightly tapered with a circular section having a circular lantern which has triangular panes and a domed roof. The keepers' cottages were, as is typical, one floored, flat roofed buildings which were coated with harling but had their quoins exposed. The lintel above the door to the lighthouse is dated 1901. Within the compound of the lighthouse there was also a sundial and a flagpole.
Innerwick is a coastal civil parish and small village, which lies in the east of East Lothian, five miles from Dunbar and approximately 32 miles from Edinburgh.
Rendall is a parish on Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. It is in the north west of the island and lies east of the parishes of Birsay and Evie and north east of Harray. The island of Gairsay is also in the parish.
Scurdie Ness is a headland located on the South side of the River South Esk estuary, Montrose, Angus, Scotland. The River leads from the North Sea into Montrose Harbour and then into Montrose Basin. The headland has also been referred to as Scurdy Ness, Montrose point or Montroseness. The word Scurdie is a local word for the volcanic rock found there and Ness means a promontory, cape or headland. The coastline from Scurdie Ness to Rickle Craig has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
The Noss Head Lighthouse is an active 19th-century lighthouse near Wick in Caithness in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is located at the end of Noss Head, a peninsula on the north-west coast of Caithness that overlooks Sinclairs Bay, three miles north-east of Wick. It is notable as being the first lighthouse that was built with a diagonally-paned lantern room.
Rosneath Peninsula is a peninsula in Argyll and Bute, western Scotland, formerly in the historic county of Dunbartonshire. The peninsula is formed by the Gare Loch in the east, and Loch Long in the west, both merge with the upper Firth of Clyde.
Girdle Ness Lighthouse is situated near Torry Battery on the Girdle Ness peninsula just south of the entrance to Aberdeen's harbour, in Scotland. It is an active light, managed by the Northern Lighthouse Board.
Ballone Castle was built in the 16th century. It was unoccupied for a couple of centuries and fell into ruin. In the 1990s it was purchased and restored by an architect. The original castle was built on a Z-plan and is unusual in having one round tower and one rectangular tower.
Turnberry Lighthouse, or Turnberry Point Lighthouse, is a category B listed minor light on the South Ayrshire coast of Scotland. It was designed by David and Thomas Stevenson and completed in 1873. It is a conspicuous landmark when seen from the Ayrshire Coastal Path and the Trump Turnberry golf resort.
Coastal fortifications in Scotland played a vital role during the World Wars, protecting shipping as they mustered to convoy. New fortifications were built and old defences were also rebuilt or strengthened around the Scottish coast in case of invasion. New technologies like Radar were also deployed.