Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland - Highlands and Islands

Date 2007

Event ID 962872

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Publication Account

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/962872

Cape Wrath Lighthouse

(Institute Civil Engineers Historic Engineering Works no. HEW 1709)

Cape Wrath Lighthouse, a 66 ft high stone tower completed in 1828 with its light 400 ft above sea level, is situated on the north-west tip of the Scottish mainland. The name derives, not as one might conclude from the angry waters of the area, but from the Norse word for ‘turning point’, for it was at this point that the Norsemen are said to have turned their galleys to the north-east to head for home.

The engineer was Robert Stevenson and the contractors, John and Alexander Gibb of Aberdeen. A small quay and store was built at a tidal inlet about a mile east of the lighthouse, connecting by a new road with the lighthouse, which served for bringing in by sea the building materials and equipment and afterwards for servicing the station. The light of 204 000 candlepower flashes at 30 second intervals and has a range of about 24 miles. The station includes a compressed air foghorn, now disused, and a Thomas Stevenson thermometer screen.

Unlike Dunnet Head, access to the lighthouse is difficult. Relief keepers and visitors can cross the Kyle of Durness by ferry and then travel some 12 miles along a 9 ft wide access road, also made in 1828, which can be extremely difficult to negotiate in winter. Numerous bridges on this road were built by Gibb under Stevenson’s direction, the largest being Kervaig Bridge of 32 ft span which is illustrated. A relief crew were first transported to the lighthouse by

helicopter on 17 January 1977. This became the regular practice until the lighthouse became unmanned.

R Paxton and J Shipway, 2007.

Reproduced from 'Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland - Highlands and Islands' with kind permission from Thomas Telford Publishers.