Kinnaird Lighthouse
aka Fraserburgh
Lighthouse
Fraserburgh,
Aberdeenshire
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Featured Location Guide |
This was the first light station established by
the Northern Lighthouse Board and is on the site of Kinnaird Castle. Along with
the
Mull of Kintyre
Lighthouse
they were the first lights to be built in Scotland. It is located on a headland
just northwest of Fraserburgh.
There is also a new lighthouse
adjacent to this historic one, built in 1991 and still operational.
The new, current, light is on the left and the
historic original lighthouse on the right.
Photo by John
Allan
| Kinnaird Castle was built
in 1570 and sold to the trustess of the Northern Lights in 1787 who
turned it into a lighthouse. The original tower was built in 1787 by
Thomas Smith and then rebuilt in 1824 by his son-and-law Robert
Stevenson, the founder of the Stevenson lighthouse dynasty. These
alterations also included the building of additional buildings for the
Lightkeepers. The present light stands within the framework of the
tower. A point of interest
regarding the original light is that in 1787 a Mr James Park, Ship
Master, was appointed "Keeper of the light" at 1/- per night, with the
benefit of some ground, on condition that he had another person with him
every night, who he was to instruct in the manner of cleaning the
lantern and cleaning and lighting the lamps.
During the war it only received one near miss
when two bombs fell and exploded just 50 yards from the buildings. It was also
surprising as the nearby town of Fraserburgh was an ammunitions works, probably
what saved it were some nearby tall chimneys on a fish processing factory,
which the enemy raiders took their bearings from in the black out.
It was automated in 1991.
Sarah
Charlesworth
|
A view of the new lighthouse and foghorn
from the top of the old castle lighthouse. |
A legend associated with Kinnaird Head and
the adjoining Wine Tower, situated on the edge of the cliff, tells a "Romeo
and Juliet" type of story. The daughter of the owner there had the piper
imprisoned in the cave beneath the tower onto the rocks below. To this day,
visitors to the Lighthouse and the Tower can see the place where she fell,
marked on the rocks in red paint. The story goes that, in the Piper's cave
as it is known, the ghost of the piper can be heard playing for his lost
love.
The Fraserburgh Wine
Tower
Photo from Geograph
The original lighthouse is now home to The
Museum of Scottish Lighthouses. It is open to the public, as is the
lighthouse museum.
The
Museum of Scottish Lighthouses
The Museum of Scottish Lighthouses consists of
the first lighthouse built on mainland Scotland, here at Kinnaird, and a purpose-built museum
housing artefacts donated by the Northern Lighthouse Board and the general
public. It has one of the world's largest collections of Fresnel lenses and
lighthouse equipment from many lighthouses across Scotland.
The lighthouse guided tour lasts 45 minutes.
The museum building contains several galleries
containing a collection of glass lenses, lighting technology and social
history artefacts covering the lives of the men and families who guarded
Scotland’s coastline for over two hundred years. There are audio-visual displays
and interactive exhibits of the science and history. There is also a café with
windows looking out onto the entrance of the Moray Firth, where you may get to
see Whales, dolphins and all manner of bird life travelling past.
The Museums Entrance
Photo
from Geograph
Lighthouse information Grid
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Name: |
Kinnaird Lighthouse, Fraserburgh,
Aberdeenshire |
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Current status: |
Working |
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Geographic Position: |
57° 41.105'N 002° 00.265'W |
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Grid Reference: |
NJ998674 |
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Ceremonial County: |
Aberdeenshire
 |
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Appearance: |
White tower
with lantern and gallery built atop a 16th century stone castle |
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Map Link: |
Multimap
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Aerial photo: |
Marinas.com
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Other photos: |
photo
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Originally built: |
1787 |
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Current lighthouse built: |
1824 |
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Height of Tower: |
10 metres |
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Height of light above mean sea level: |
25 metres |
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Character of light: |
Flashing
White every 5 secs |
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Character of fog signal: |
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Range of light: |
22 nautical
miles |
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How powered: |
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Owned / run by: |
Northern
Lighthouse Board
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Website: |
Scotland's
Lighthouse Museum
Open detail |
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Other Useful Websites: |
Wikipedia
NLB
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| Routes: |
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Notes: |
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Lighthouse Visit Planning Grid
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Location: |
Kinnaird Lighthouse, Fraserburgh,
Aberdeenshire |
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Grid Reference: |
NJ998674 |
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Getting there: |
From the A90 past Ellon take the A952 to
Fraser burgh, head towards the centre of town and follow the museum signs
from there. |
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Access: |
Site open, old tower 45 minute guided tours. |
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Parking: |
Yes |
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Address: |
Kinnaird head
Stevenson Road
Fraserburgh |
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Postcode: |
AB43 9DU |
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Telephone: |
01346 511022 |
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Email: |
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Opening times: |
All year except December 25-26 and January
1-2.
Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12noon-5pm.
1st Jul-31Aug closes at 6pm, 1st Nov-31st Mar closes at 4pm |
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Charges: |
Adult £5. Student £4.50, OAP £4, Child (6-16)
£2, Family (2+2) £12.40, (2+3) £14.20, (2+4) £16, school pupil £1 |
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Best Times to Visit: |
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Facilities: |
Shop, cafe |
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Things To Do,
See and Photograph: |
visit the tower, and museum. Watch wildlife in
the Moray Firth |
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What to take: |
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Nature highlights: |
Whales, Dolphins, birds |
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Photo Restrictions: |
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Other Restrictions: |
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Nearby Locations: |
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Other Relevant pages: |
For more articles, lists and other information
see the
Lighthouses Section
Lighthouse Map of Scotland
Featured List of lighthouses - Scotland
List of minor lighthouses and lights - Scotland
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