Bell Rock Lighthouse. The masonry work on which the lighthouse rests was constructed to such a high standard that it has not been replaced or adapted in 200 years.[3] The lamps and reflectors were replaced in 1843 and used in the lighthouse at Cape Bonavista, Newfoundland, where they are currently on display.[4] The working of the lighthouse has been automated since 1988.[1] Perthshire, Angus & Dundee. Site Record for Bell Rock Lighthouse Inchcape RockDetails Details. Alternative Names Inchcape RockSite Type LIGHTHOUSECanmore ID 36215Site Number NO72NE 1NGR NO 76165 26808Council ANGUSParish ARBROATH AND ST VIGEANSFormer Region TAYSIDEFormer District ANGUSFormer County ANGUSDatum OSGB36 - NGR Canmore MappingView this site on a map Treasured Places - HLF funded The Bell Rock lighthouse, which is situated in the North Sea some twelve miles to the south-east of Arbroath, is the oldest surviving rock-built lighthouse in Britain.
First lit on 1 February 1811, it was designed by Robert Stevenson and is capped by an octagonal lantern. The construction of the lighthouse proved a great challenge, as the rock on which it is built is only exposed at low tide. Information from RCAHMS (SC) 23 July 2007 An image of this site has been nominated as one of Scotland's favourite archive images. Archaeological Notes For associated signal tower in Lady Loan, Arbroath (NO 6405 4044), see NO64SW 54. Bellrock.org.uk : Welcome. Northern Lighthouse Board - Bell Rock. The oldest existing rock Lighthouse in the British Isles is the tower on the Bell, or Inchcape, Rock a long and treacherous reef lying in the North Sea, some 12 miles East of Dundee and in the fairway of vessels plying to and from the Firths of Tay and Forth.
Even in the old days, this rock had proved to be a danger to navigation. In his account of the Bell Rock Lighthouse, Robert Stevenson, Engineer to the Board, stated "there is a tradition that an Abbot of Aberbrothock directed a bell to be erected on the Rock, so connected with a floating apparatus, that the winds and sea acted upon it, and tolled the bell, thus giving warning to the mariner of his approaching danger. Work on the excavation of the rock was begun in 1807 but it was not until February 1811 that the light was first exhibited. Reflect the light. Each reflector had, located at the focus, an argand lamp having a circular wick of three quarters of an inch diameter. The dramatised story of the Bell Rock Lighthouse – part 1 : Harbour Nights Guest House. A stone tower in stormy seas – Bell Rock Lighthouse.
The oldest surviving sea-washed lighthouse, the Bell Rock Lighthouse is a triumph of engineering and persistence.
Photo Credit: Northern Lighthouse Board There is a reef, off the coast of Scotland, called Bell Rock. Legend has it that an Abbot, in the 14th century, managed to install a giant bell on the reef, warning seafarers of the danger. However, a dutch pirate stole the valuable brass bell just one year after it was installed and ironically perished when his ship hit the then-unmarked rock some time later. Hundreds and hundreds of sailors lost their lives on the rock in the following centuries and at the early 1800s it was decided that something had to be done. No one had ever built a lighthouse where so much of it was going to be submerged. Bell Rock Lighthouse Map. Bell Rock Lighthouse, Angus. Angus Heritage - The Bell Rock Lighthouse. Heritage Locations - Bell Rock Lighthouse. History - British History in depth: Who Built the Bell Rock Lighthouse?
ScotSites eBooks - Building of the Bell Rock. The following is taken from chapter 3 of Records of a Family of Engineers by Robert Louis Stevenson: Off the mouths of the Tay and the Forth, thirteen miles from Fifeness, eleven from Arbroath, and fourteen from the Red Head of Angus, lies the Inchcape or Bell Rock.
It extends to a length of about fourteen hundred feet, but the part of it discovered at low water to not more than four hundred and twenty-seven. At a little more than half-flood in fine weather the seamless ocean joins over the reef, and at high-water springs it is buried sixteen feet. As the tide goes down, the higher reaches of the rock are seen to be clothed by Conferva rupestris as by a sward of grass; upon the more exposed edges, where the currents are most swift and the breach of the sea heaviest, Baderlock or Henware flourishes; and the great Tangle grows at the depth of several fathoms with luxuriance.
A Bill for the work was introduced into Parliament and lost in the Lords in 1802-3. ‘carrying with him Mr. Biographical Sketch of the Late Robert Stevenson: Civil Engineer - Alan Stevenson. Robert Stevenson. Bell Rock Lighthouse celebrates 200 years shining. The Bell Rock Lighthouse. Helicopter Crash, Bell Rock Lighthouse (Hansard, 20 December 1955) Bell Rock Lighthouse reflected in new tartan - Scotland. IT HAS been hailed as one of the seven wonders of the industrial world – a towering achievement of engineering and ambition that has saved the lives of countless seafarers since its light first shone out from a treacherous reef off the Angus coast 202 years ago.
Now Bell Rock Lighthouse – the oldest sea-washed lighthouse still standing – has become the world’s first-life saving beacon to get its own tartan. 'Bell Rock Lighthouse', Joseph Mallord William Turner. Bell Rock Lighthouse − Joseph Mallord William Turner − T. The Bell Rock Lighthouse, which is situated off the Angus coast south-west of Arbroath, is one of the greatest achievements of early nineteenth-century engineering.
It was designed by Robert Stevenson and built between 1807 and 1811 on a partially submerged reef, using the latest and most revolutionary construction methods. In 1819, Stevenson commissioned Turner to design a frontispiece for his ‘Account of the Bell Rock Lighthouse’. This watercolour was the result. Turner never actually visited the lighthouse, and probably based his design on drawings. It was subsequently engraved for Stevenson’s account by John Horsburgh and published in 1824. Joseph Mallord William Turner (English, 1775 - 1851) Bell Rock Lighthouse Model. Bell Rock Lighthouse - Treasures display.
Our treasures display about the building of the Bell Rock Lighthouse ran from 12 January to 28 February 2011.
On 1 February 1811, the Bell Rock Lighthouse lanterns were lit for the first time. Now regarded as one of the seven wonders of the industrial world, the lighthouse took Robert Stevenson and his men four years to complete. Our small display chronicled the epic construction story, as part of a nationwide programme of events celebrating a great engineering achievement. On show were letters, drawings, ledgers and plans from the business archive of Robert Stevenson & Sons.
Bell Rock Lighthouse stairs.