Lighthouse Beacons from Scotland
Barra Head Lighthouse
Barra Head is situated on the west side of the island of Berneray at the top edge of a very steep cliff. It engineered by Robert Stevenson. The oil burning light was first shone on the night of 15 October 1833. The light was converted to incandescent in 1906 and a Wireless Beacon was established there in 1936. The tower is built of stone and is only 58 feet high, but the light is 693 feet above sea level and has range of 18 miles.
Photo on the right by Bob Jones via Wikimedia.
Barra Head is roughly half-way between Eilean Glas and Rinns of Islay Lighthouse and it stands at the Southern entrance to the Minch. The landing is approximately 1¼ miles from the Station and the lightkeepers were the only inhabitants of the island for many years.
Barra Head Lighthouse was converted to automatic operation, and the last of the lightkeepers were withdrawn on 23 October 1980. Its day characteristic is a white conical tower and its night is flashing white every 15 Seconds.
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