The Bell Rock Lighthouse, 11 miles off the coast of Arbroath, is considered one of the world’s greatest feats of engineering. Next week will see the bicentenary of Robert Stevenson’s landmark first shining across the North Sea, and Jennifer Cosgrove discovered more about a whole year of celebrations to mark the occasion.
In addition, there are letters, drawings, ledgers and plans from the business archive of Robert Stevenson and Sons. There are notes from writer Sir Walter Scott’s experience of his visit to the lighthouse and a 1960s film of an annual inspection of the lighthouse.
The library’s senior manuscripts curator Sheila Mackenzie said, “We acquired the collection of Robert Stevenson and Sons, which contains all the correspondence and ledgers of the firm. A lot of their work was with lighthouses, both in Scotland and other countries such as Japan and New Zealand.
“I think we should be celebrating Scotland’s wonderful 19th Century civil engineers, including, James Watt, Thomas Telford, John Rennie, and the Stevenson family.
“Maritime history is part of being Scottish and you don’t need to have a specific interest in engineering or lighthouses to enjoy the display, as it is of general interest. I’m not a technical person, but am so enthusiastic about it.”
The display will be on show until February 28, and there are a number of other themed events and exhibitions taking place in Scotland and as far away as London and Cornwall. Information about these can be found on The Museum of Scottish Lighthouses website.
As patron of the Northern Lighthouse Board, Princess Anne is to hold a reception at the Palace of Holyroodhouse to mark the bicentenary on February 3. Her passion for lighthouses stretches back to a childhood visit with her mother to Tiumpan Head on Lewis.
The following day, she will attend a bicentenary conference at the Royal Society of Edinburgh, entitled The Bell Rock Lighthouse, the Stevensons and Emerging Issues in Aids to Navigation.
The iconic lighthouse really has caught people’s imaginations, including local man David Taylor, who set up the excellent website bellrock.org.uk in memory of his great-great-great-grandfather Captain David Taylor and the important part he played in the construction of the lighthouse.
Captain Taylor was the son of a handloom weaver living near Arbroath and he became master of the lighthouse’s supply vessel, where the builders stayed while they were constructing Bell Rock. He was then appointed first Superintendent of the Bell Rock’s shore station at the Signal Tower in Arbroath.
Fascinated by tales of his family’s connections to the Bell Rock and the lighthouse, when David retired back in 1999, he began work on the website and it has gone from strength-to-strength.
It has received visits from over 165 countries in the run-up to the 200th anniversary and attracted attention from people from as far afield as Fiji, Vietnam, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.
David said, “Ever since I was able to remember anything, I have known about my famous ancestor’s involvement with the building of the Bell Rock. It has shone down through the generations like a beacon of light.”
A number of commemorative items are being produced to mark the bicentenary, including certificates for all children whose birth is registered in Arbroath during 2011.
Every baby registered will be presented with a special certificate signed by David Taylor, John Boath the last principal keeper on the Bell Rock and Carolyn MacPherson, chief registrar with Angus Council.
There will also be a limited edition whisky and a highly-collectible first day cover stamp. Meanwhile, the annual Seafront Spectacular, Seafest and Blues festival will have a Bell Rock theme.
Harry Simpson, chair of Arbroath and Area Partnership’s Year of the Light Steering Committee, said the programme took around a year and a half to plan, and was community-led through and through.
“It celebrates the history of the building of the Bell Rock lighthouse and also commemorates the people who actually built it. We also want to promote the town and surrounding area.
“Everybody who was involved: the volunteers, the council, the community planning team they have all worked really hard to get to where we are today.”The fireworks Display takes place at Inchcape Park, next to the Signal Tower Museum, on Tuesday, February 1, at 7.30pm. Admission is free. For more information on the Bell Rock Bicentenary and related events, visit www.angusahead.com/bellrocklighthouse, www.nls.uk, www.lighthousemuseum.org.uk and www.bellrock.org.ukOn February 1, 1811, the Bell Rock lighthouse lanterns were lit for the first time. It had taken Stevenson and his men four years to complete what was to become Scotland’s most famous lighthouse.
Arbroath has long been associated with the lighthouse and the town will celebrate with a 12-month programme called The Year of the Light, which officially opens with a spectacular fireworks display on February 1, at Inchcape Park, next to the Signal Tower Museum.
Other events throughout the year include a special service in memory of all those who have lost their lives on the Bell Rock, a yacht regatta, boat trips around the lighthouse and an entertaining selection of concerts, music and talks.
The programme is very much a community-led event and The Year of the Light steering committee is supported by the local community planning team, with funding from a variety of sources, including the Angus and Dundee Tourism Partnership’s innovation and development fund.
According to legend, the Bell Rock was so named because the Abbot of Aberbrothock Arbroath’s original name warned sailors of the danger by placing a bell on the Inchcape Rock. It was later removed by the dastardly pirate Ralph the Rover, who is said to have met a well-deserved watery end on the rock.
The Bell Rock had always been a notorious spot for mariners, with many ships and lives lost in its vicinity. During the great storm of 1799 on the east coast, at least 70 vessels came to grief if not on the Bell Rock itself, then on the shores trying to avoid it.
It was not until 1806, after the loss of the 64-gun HMS York with all hands on board in 1804, that permission to build the lighthouse was finally granted.
The Northern Lighthouse Board’s young engineer Robert Stevenson put forward plans for a lighthouse on the Bell Rock, using construction techniques drawn up by John Smeaton some 50 years earlier at the Eddystone near Plymouth. He was appointed resident engineer and assistant for the project, along with chief engineer John Rennie.
There has always been controversy over which engineer actually ‘built’ the lighthouse and, historically, it has been attributed to Stevenson. He was the engineer in charge of the construction on a daily basis and, although Rennie was responsible for modifying final designs, it would appear he only visited the site twice during the years of construction.
Building the Bell Rock lighthouse was a massive undertaking involving many Arbroath craftsmen including blacksmiths, builders and stonemasons both offshore and at the town’s harbour.
The reef where the lighthouse was to be built was only visible for a few hours each day and work was only possible between April and October, severely restricted by the weather and the seasons.
In August 1807, 24 men sailed from Arbroath to the Bell Rock to start work on the structure and, despite many obstacles, it was complete and operational within four years.
The imposing 35m-high structure is the oldest standing rock lighthouse in the world. It became automated in 1988 and is operated by the Northern Lighthouse Board.
Arbroath’s Signal Tower Museum, by the harbour, was once the shore station for the lighthouse keepers and their families. It became a local authority museum in 1974 and is now undergoing renovation work that will include new displays focusing on Arbroath’s fascinating maritime heritage and paying tribute to the vision and bravery of the men who built and manned the lighthouse. It is due to re-open in spring.
In the centre of the Signal Tower courtyard there will be a replica of the first complete course (layer) of the lighthouse in full size 42 square feet diameter which will give visitors an idea of the sheer scale of the building.
The ball mechanism on the top of the tower will also be restored and will enable signalling to be reintroduced for special occasions.
Even animals were recognised during the efforts to construct the lighthouse, none more so than Bassey the carthorse, who was used to pull a converted artillery carriage to draw the raw blocks of stone for the Bell Rock lighthouse from the quarries to the mason’s yard and then down to the pier at Arbroath.
Bassey drew over 2000 tonnes of stone and was much admired because of this. Stevenson even named a section of the Bell Rock in his honour.
After the lighthouse was built, Bassey was moved to the island of Inchkeith in the Forth. He died in 1818 and his skeleton was bought, prepared and displayed by the notable anatomist, Dr John Barclay, in a personal collection. It was later gifted to the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh before being transferred to the Bell Pettigrew Museum of Natural History in St Andrews in 1922, where it can still be seen.
There are also celebratory events going on outside of Angus, one of which is now under way at the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh. A display showcasing a variety of treasures which chart the Bell Rock’s past was recently unveiled at the library’s public exhibition space on George IV Bridge, including artefacts detailing its construction.
Visitors can see a drawing of the Beacon House the first building on the rock, which was created to house the workmen and the blacksmith’s forge. Stevenson’s ideas for the creation of the lighthouse and original designs are also on show, as well as documents outlining the dangers the Bell Rock posed.
On February 1, 1811, the Bell Rock lighthouse lanterns were lit for the first time. It had taken Stevenson and his men four years to complete what was to become Scotland’s most famous lighthouse.
Arbroath has long been associated with the lighthouse and the town will celebrate with a 12-month programme called The Year of the Light, which officially opens with a spectacular fireworks display on February 1, at Inchcape Park, next to the Signal Tower Museum.
Other events throughout the year include a special service in memory of all those who have lost their lives on the Bell Rock, a yacht regatta, boat trips around the lighthouse and an entertaining selection of concerts, music and talks.
The programme is very much a community-led event and The Year of the Light steering committee is supported by the local community planning team, with funding from a variety of sources, including the Angus and Dundee Tourism Partnership’s innovation and development fund.
According to legend, the Bell Rock was so named because the Abbot of Aberbrothock Arbroath’s original name warned sailors of the danger by placing a bell on the Inchcape Rock. It was later removed by the dastardly pirate Ralph the Rover, who is said to have met a well-deserved watery end on the rock.
The Bell Rock had always been a notorious spot for mariners, with many ships and lives lost in its vicinity. During the great storm of 1799 on the east coast, at least 70 vessels came to grief if not on the Bell Rock itself, then on the shores trying to avoid it.
It was not until 1806, after the loss of the 64-gun HMS York with all hands on board in 1804, that permission to build the lighthouse was finally granted.
The Northern Lighthouse Board’s young engineer Robert Stevenson put forward plans for a lighthouse on the Bell Rock, using construction techniques drawn up by John Smeaton some 50 years earlier at the Eddystone near Plymouth. He was appointed resident engineer and assistant for the project, along with chief engineer John Rennie.
There has always been controversy over which engineer actually ‘built’ the lighthouse and, historically, it has been attributed to Stevenson. He was the engineer in charge of the construction on a daily basis and, although Rennie was responsible for modifying final designs, it would appear he only visited the site twice during the years of construction.
Building the Bell Rock lighthouse was a massive undertaking involving many Arbroath craftsmen including blacksmiths, builders and stonemasons both offshore and at the town’s harbour.
The reef where the lighthouse was to be built was only visible for a few hours each day and work was only possible between April and October, severely restricted by the weather and the seasons.
In August 1807, 24 men sailed from Arbroath to the Bell Rock to start work on the structure and, despite many obstacles, it was complete and operational within four years.
The imposing 35m-high structure is the oldest standing rock lighthouse in the world. It became automated in 1988 and is operated by the Northern Lighthouse Board.
Arbroath’s Signal Tower Museum, by the harbour, was once the shore station for the lighthouse keepers and their families. It became a local authority museum in 1974 and is now undergoing renovation work that will include new displays focusing on Arbroath’s fascinating maritime heritage and paying tribute to the vision and bravery of the men who built and manned the lighthouse. It is due to re-open in spring.
In the centre of the Signal Tower courtyard there will be a replica of the first complete course (layer) of the lighthouse in full size 42 square feet diameter which will give visitors an idea of the sheer scale of the building.
The ball mechanism on the top of the tower will also be restored and will enable signalling to be reintroduced for special occasions.
Even animals were recognised during the efforts to construct the lighthouse, none more so than Bassey the carthorse, who was used to pull a converted artillery carriage to draw the raw blocks of stone for the Bell Rock lighthouse from the quarries to the mason’s yard and then down to the pier at Arbroath.
Bassey drew over 2000 tonnes of stone and was much admired because of this. Stevenson even named a section of the Bell Rock in his honour.
After the lighthouse was built, Bassey was moved to the island of Inchkeith in the Forth. He died in 1818 and his skeleton was bought, prepared and displayed by the notable anatomist, Dr John Barclay, in a personal collection. It was later gifted to the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh before being transferred to the Bell Pettigrew Museum of Natural History in St Andrews in 1922, where it can still be seen.
There are also celebratory events going on outside of Angus, one of which is now under way at the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh. A display showcasing a variety of treasures which chart the Bell Rock’s past was recently unveiled at the library’s public exhibition space on George IV Bridge, including artefacts detailing its construction.
Visitors can see a drawing of the Beacon House the first building on the rock, which was created to house the workmen and the blacksmith’s forge. Stevenson’s ideas for the creation of the lighthouse and original designs are also on show, as well as documents outlining the dangers the Bell Rock posed.