Barns Ness Lighthouse

We were out at Barns Ness this morning and while Margaret was taking the dogs a walk I did a bit of photography. It was a lovely clear day and the lighthouse was looking rather majestic against the saturated blue sky and as I had my telephoto lens with me I was able to focus in on the top of the lighthouse where the yellow paintwork made a strong contrast with the blue sky.

‘The Lighthouse at Barns Ness was built by David A Stevenson, Engineer to the Commissioners. The light was first exhibited on 1 October 1901, approximately 2½ years after building operations commenced. The tower is 121 feet high, and is constructed of stone from Craigree (near Cramond) and Barnton quarries, as are the other buildings. The stone has proved to be tough as Barns Ness was machine gunned during the War, and no damage was sustained.
Until 11 July 1966, the lighthouse was manned by two lightkeepers; it then changed to one keeper as the light was being converted to semi-automatic operation. A sealed beam light, powered by mains electricity, replaced the old mantle and paraffin-operated light. The candlepower of the light was 1,300,000 and was the first of its type to be used in the Commissioners' Service.’