Bell Rock Light

“Arbroath, Scotland, U.K.”

Built: 1811
Automated: 1988

“This is the oldest existing rock lighthouse in the British Isles. The Bell, or Inchcape, Rock is a long, treacherous reef lying in the North Sea, 12 miles southeast of Arbroath, in the path of vessels traveling to and from the Firths of Tay and Forth. Excavation of the rock began in 1807, but the light wasn’t completed until 1811. The tower is made of stone quarried from the Dundee and Aberdeen areas. It is 115 feet tall, 42 feet in diameter at the base, tapering to 15 feet in diameter at the top. It is of solid dovetailed masonry for the first 30 feet, half of which is below high water, and located above are 5 chambers and the lightroom. The original optic consisted of 24 parabolic reflectors 25 inches in diameter. These were later replaced by a first-order Fresnel lens. A Dalen optic was installed in 1988. This light was designed by Robert Stevenson and is still active today.”

Navigational Options

Return to Forty-fourth Lighthouse Expedition

Go to Alphabetical Listing

Go to Geographical Listing

Return to Lighthouse Home Page

Lighthouses: A Photographic Journey
Conceived and Developed by David S. Carter
Photographs by Donald W. Carter
Text by Diana K. Carter, Donald W. Carter & David S. Carter

Copyright © 1995-2006 David S. Carter, Donald W. Carter, & Diana K. Carter. All rights reserved. Reproduction by any means, physical or electronic, in part or in full, without the express permission of the authors, is strictly prohibited.