Small but interesting

An afternoon walk at Roseness, Holm, followed by tea and scones.

Roseness lighthouse is a minor light and is particularly interesting because it was built relatively recently. It dates to 1983 and was erected to replace an earlier automated cast iron lighthouse of 1905. Originally it was gas powered, but is now solar powered.

Roseness was one of the first low maintenance glass reinforced plastic towers built in Scotland. GRP is a strong but flexible material that can be moulded into or around the shape it is required to take. It's very hard wearing and was quick to construct compared with more traditional materials like stone, cast iron or concrete. 

The Northern Lighthouse Board has 13 of this type of lighthouse. Only a small number were built because during the1980s the process of converting lighthouses to solar power saw the development of a lighter, aluminium tower which became a more economical option for replacing the remaining gas-powered minor lights in Scotland.