Bell Rock Lighthouse

by Michael A W Strachan

The Bell Rock Lighthouse, built on the Inchcape Rock, a submerged reef some 12 miles off the coast of Arbroath, is the world’s oldest surviving sea-washed lighthouse. It was built between 1807 and 1810 by Robert Stevenson who was the first man on the reef and the last man off, a personal commitment which saw the Bell Rock’s actual Chief Engineer, John Rennie, almost deleted from the building’s history. Standing 35 metres tall, its light is visible from 35 statute miles inland. The challenges faced in the building of the lighthouse have led to it being described as one of the Seven Wonders of the Industrial World. This book is a lavishly illustrated history of this iconic lighthouse written and researched by Michael A W Strachan, Collections Manager at the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses. A marvellous tribute to one of the nation’s best known and loved ‘lights’. 96 pages.