Rona Lighthouse

Rona Lighthouse

Location	South Rona, Highland, Portree, United Kingdom
OS grid	NG6341161137
Coordinates	57°34′41″N 5°57′33″W
Tower
Constructed	1857
Built by	David Stevenson, Thomas Stevenson
Construction	masonry (tower)
Automated	1975
Height	13 m (43 ft)
Shape	cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern[1][2]
Markings	white (tower), black (lantern), ochre (trim)
Operator	Northern Lighthouse Board
Heritage	category B listed building
Light
Focal height	69 m (226 ft)
Range	19 nmi (35 km; 22 mi)
Characteristic	Fl W 12s

Rona Lighthouse is a lighthouse in South Rona, Scotland.[3][4] The lighthouse is managed by the Northern Lighthouse Board. It is Category B listed.[5] The light should not be confused with the 1984 light located on the island of North Rona.

History

The lighthouse was built to the design and engineering of Thomas Stevenson and David Stevenson.[6] It was first lighted on 10 November 1857.[3]

The lighthouse was manned with keepers cottages onsite. During the 20th century, supplies and the keepers were taken by boat from Portree to the Rona quay.[7] By 1930, only the lighthouse keepers remained on Rona as all other residents had relocated to the mainland.[8]

In 1975, it was converted to automatic operation.[3] The records of the manned lighthouse, including the shipwreck return book, stores and visitor books were transferred to the National Records of Scotland.[9]

See also

• List of lighthouses in Scotland
• List of Northern Lighthouse Board lighthouses

References

1. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Scotland: Highlands". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2016-05-20.
2. Rona Northern Lighthouse Board. Retrieved 20 May 2016
3. Historic Environment Scotland. "Rona, Lighthouse (99577)". Canmore.
4. Kerr, Sarah (2019). The British Lighthouse Trail. Caithness, Scotland, UK: Whittles. ISBN 978-1-84995-440-2. OCLC 1085161354.
5. Historic Environment Scotland. "RAASAY, ISLAND OF RONA LIGHTHOUSE (Category B Listed Building) (LB18449)". Retrieved 6 June 2024.
6. "Lighthouses built by David & Thomas Stevenson". NLB. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
7. Smylie, Mike (2013-09-15). From Duncansby Head to the Solway Firth: The Fishing Industry Through Time. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-1466-3.
8. Hutchinson, Roger (2014-11-01). St Kilda. Casemate Publishers. ISBN 978-0-85790-831-5.
9. "Rona Lighthouse NC91". NRS. Retrieved 6 June 2024.