Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland - Highlands and Islands

Date 2007

Event ID 963049

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Publication Account

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/963049

Start Point Lighthouse, Orkney

(Institute Civil Engineers Historic Engineering Works no. HEW 1986)

The earliest tower at Start Point, Sanday, built of masonry under the direction of Thomas Smith began its existence in 1802 as an unlit sea mark with a large ball of stone on top. In 1806 it was fitted with the Board’s first revolving light, consisting of an array of Argand oil lamps with silvered copper reflectors, by Robert Stevenson, who formally took over as from Smith as engineer on 12 July 1808.

On completion of Start Point Lighthouse, North Ronaldsay Lighthouse, 7 1/2 miles to the north, was no longer required to be lit. Its lantern was replaced in 1809 by the stone ball, about 5 ft in diameter of squared masonary, from Start Point tower, in which capacity it still serves as a sea mark about 12

mile south-east of the present 139 ft tall structure.

The present North Ronaldsay Lighthouse was built in 1852–53 under Alan Stevenson’s direction by Wm. Kinghorn, Leith, at a contract price of £6181. At 138 ft it is believed to be the tallest land-based lighthouse in the United Kingdom. Unusually at that time for a Scottish lighthouse, it was built in brick instead of stone, presumably for convenience of shipping and construction.

Other brick towers were built under D. & T. Stevenson’s direction at the Butt of Lewis and the Monach Islands and in 1870 Start Point Lighthouse was replaced by the present 75 ft tall brick structure. It was modernised in 1913 and became automatic in 1962.

R Paxton and J Shipway, 2007.

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