2023

HY7855 : Beach beside the Old Beacon

taken 1 year ago, 4 km ENE of Hollandstoun, North Ronaldsay, Orkney Islands, Scotland

Beach beside the Old Beacon
Beach beside the Old Beacon
Piles of loose blocks and slabs have been thrown up by sea to form a storm beach next to the sheepdyke.
The Old Beacon

This was the third lighthouse built by the Commissioners of Northern Lights, after NJ9967 : Kinnaird Head Lighthouse, Fraserburgh and the NR5808 : Mull of Kintyre Lighthouse, and is the oldest surviving purpose-built lighthouse tower in Scotland.

The architect was Ezekiel Walker, the engineer Thomas Smith, assisted by his stepson Robert Stevenson, and the masons John White and James Sinclair. The tower is 21.3 metres tall, and cost £199 12s 6d. It was first lit on 10 October 1789.

The Beacon was short-lived; it extinguished in 1809 after the construction of other nearby lighthouses was thought to have made it redundant. This decision was reversed when the new lighthouse was built nearby.

The round stone tower was retained as a sea-mark, however, and the original beacon chamber at the top was replaced by a vaulted roof capped by a remarkable ball finial.

In 2006, it was one of the neglected buildings selected for the 'Restoration' TV series.

It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument; see LinkExternal link for details.


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Anne Burgess and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Coastal Islands Rocks, Scree, Cliffs
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Storm Beach [2] ·
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
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1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
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HY7855, 72 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Anne Burgess   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Tuesday, 20 June, 2023   (more nearby)
Submitted
Sunday, 27 August, 2023
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! HY 7899 5531 [10m precision]
WGS84: 59:23.0112N 2:22.2939W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! HY 78952 55248
View Direction
North-northeast (about 22 degrees)
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Image Type (about): geograph 
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