Bell Rock Lighthouse is the world's oldest surviving sea-washed lighthouse and was built on Bell Rock (also known as Inchcape) in the North Sea, 11 miles (18 km) off the coast of Angus, Scotland, east of the Firth of Tay. It was built by Robert Stevenson between 1807 and 1810, and standing at 35 m high, the light is visible from 35 statute miles (56 km) inland.
The masonry work on which the lighthouse rests was constructed to such a high standard that it has not been replaced or adapted in 200 years. The lamps and reflectors were replaced in 1843, with the original equipment being used in the lighthouse at Cape Bonavista, Newfoundland where they are currently on display. The working of the lighthouse has been automated since 1988.
The lighthouse operated in tandem with a shore station, the Bell Rock Signal Tower, built in 1813 at the mouth of Arbroath harbour. Today this building houses the Signal Tower Museum, a visitor centre detailing the history of the lighthouse.
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.
Read more about Bell Rock Lighthouse: History, 1955 Helicopter Accident, In Culture
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—Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960)
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—Arthur Miller (b. 1915)
“This lighthouse was the cynosure of all eyes.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)