Pladda Lighthouse

Pladda Lighthouse
	Pladda High Lighthouse
Location	Pladda, North Ayrshire, United Kingdom
Coordinates	55°25′30″N 5°07′06″W / 55.425129°N 5.118362°W
Tower
Constructed	1790
Built by	Thomas Smith
Construction	masonry (tower)
Automated	1990
Height	29 m (95 ft)
Shape	cylinder
Markings	white (tower), black (lantern), ochre (trim)
Operator	Northern Lighthouse Board
Light
Focal height	40 m (130 ft)
Lens	hyperradiant Fresnel lens
Range	17 nmi (31 km; 20 mi)
Characteristic	Fl(3) W 30s

Pladda Lighthouse is an active 18th century lighthouse situated at the southern end of the island of Pladda in western Scotland.^[1]^[2] The lighthouse dates from 1790 and was designed by Thomas Smith. It was the first light on the Clyde to be commissioned by the Commissioners of the Northern Lights. It had both an upper and a lower light to distinguish it from the three other lighthouses in the Firth of Clyde.

In 1876, Pladda was about the third station to have a foghorn. The "double lights" were replaced by a powerful flashing system in 1901. Lightkeepers were withdrawn in 1990 when the lighthouse was automated; it is now remotely monitored from the Northern Lighthouse Board's headquarters in Edinburgh.

The lighthouse tower is 29 metres (95 ft) in height; there are 128 steps to the top. Under normal conditions, its light (three white flashes every 30 seconds) is visible for 17 nautical miles (31 kilometres).^[3]^[4]

In popular culture

Pladda and its lighthouse feature extensively in Peter Hill's book Stargazing: Memoirs of a Young Lighthouse Keeper. They were also filming locations for "Queen Victoria Syndrome", the first episode of season 5 of The Crown.