Remove ads
Sumburgh Head Lighthouse is a lighthouse on Sumburgh Head at the southern tip of the Mainland of Shetland.
.jpg) | |
 | |
| Location | Sumburgh Head Shetland Scotland |
|---|---|
| OS grid | HU4072307872 |
| Coordinates | 59.854053°N 1.274585°W |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1821 |
| Built by | Robert Stevenson  |
| Construction | Masonry tower |
| Automated | 1991 |
| Height | 17 metres (56 ft) |
| Shape | Cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern |
| Markings | White tower, black lantern, ochre trim |
| Operator | Sumburgh Head Lighthouse[1][2] |
| Heritage | category A listed building |
| Light | |
| Focal height | 91 metres (299 ft) |
| Range | 23 nautical miles (43 km; 26 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fl (3) W 30s. |
.jpg)
The lighthouse was built by Robert Stevenson in 1821 and is the oldest lighthouse in Shetland.[1] From 1906 until 1987, there was also an active foghorn,[2] which was originally traversable in azimuth. This replaced the fog bell, which had been presented after the loss of the Royal Victoria in 1864. The bell now hangs in the parish church at Dunrossness.[2] The light was automated in 1991 and the keepers' houses were converted into holiday accommodation. The foghorn was restored in 2015 and sounds on special occasions.[3][4] The lighthouse complex also has offices for the RSPB who look after the bird reserve which surrounds the lighthouse.
The Northern Lighthouse Board operate the light, whilst the Shetland Amenity Trust own the site and restored the lighthouse facilities and built a visitor centre which opened in 2014.[1] The lighthouse is protected as a category A listed building.[5]
Remove ads
Remove ads
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
Remove ads