Lighthouse Beacons from Scotland
Buchan Ness / Boddam Lighthouse
Photo by Iain Smith via Wikimedia Commons
Petitions were received by the Commissioners in 1819 from the Magistrates, town Councils and Harbour trustees of Peterhead on the coast of Aberdeenshire, to have a lighthouse erected on Buchan Ness or any more eligible part of the coast. The area was surveyed by Robert Stevenson, Engineer to the Board (also grandfather of Robert Louis Stevenson), who decided on the present position of the village Boddam. It was not, however, until 1827 that the light was operational. The graphic here is via Wikimedia Commons.John Gibb of Aberdeen was the contractor responsible for the building of Buchan Ness.
The red bands were added In 1907 to distinguish it as a day mark.There have been many changes since 1827 in the light itself such as in 1910 to dioptric and in 1978 the lantern was especially enlarged with the candlepower raised from 6,500 to 786,000. Then in 1978, it was converted to electric operation with a candlepower of 2,000,000.
The lighthouse was automated in 1988 and is now remotely monitored from the Board’s headquarters in Edinburgh. The fog horn was discontinued in 2000.The graphic on the right is via Wikimedia Commons.
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