A fascinating story centred on the building of the famous Bell Rock lighthouse has been brought back into print to enthral the current crop of Arbroath schoolchildren.
The Lighthouse Boy children’s book first appeared in 1981.
Scots author Craig Mair created the tale around a lad who worked with the builders of the lighthouse 11 miles off the coast of the Angus town.
Robert Stevenson’s creation is regarded as one of the wonders of the industrial world.
And 213 years on it remains the world’s oldest operating sea-washed lighthouse.
Author’s enthusiastic support
Now, a small group of friends have secured the funds to re-print hundreds of copies for seaward Angus primaries.
Author Craig gave the project his enthusiastic backing.
And the first copies are now in the hands of young Lichties to enjoy.
Helen McDiarmid, a former principal teacher at Arbroath’s Inverbrothock Primary School, retired academic co-ordinator Sheila Rawlings, former NCR product manager Carolyn Millar and retired secondary school languages teacher Jill Kerr were behind the initiative.
Jill’s involvement weaves another famous piece of Arbroath history into the project.
She is the widow of the late Matt Kerr and former owner of the town’s legendary miniature railway.
Helen’s late husband, Frank McDiarmid, was a well-known Angus artist and cartoonist and captured the Bell Rock in his work.
Local law companies Thorntons and Connelly and Yeoman helped secure the funds for the project through town trusts they administer.
Unique publication
Helen said: “The book encompasses much of the local history of Arbroath and the Angus coastal area around 1805 to 1811.
“It is written for young readers and is the only book of its type.
“It touches the lives of hand loom weavers, fishers, sailors and other trades, illustrating the difficulties faced by working folk at that time. War with France was a reality.
“The young hero, Jamie, was 11-years-old when he became man of the house and struggled to help his family survive in harsh times.
“Jamie eventually helped build the Bell Rock Lighthouse,” added Helen.
“He met Robert Stevenson and several memorable characters.”
And Mr Mair’s novel is illustrated with original drawings of Stevenson’s Bell Rock plans.
“An audio version has been made and is available through You Tube,” Helen added.
“We hope this excellent source of information about our local history will encourage young people to appreciate our rich heritage and take pride in it.”
