Lighthouse
| Cape Wrath Lighthouse | |
| Location | Sutherland, northern Scotland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 58°37′32.28″N 4°59′57.12″W / 58.6256333°N 4.9992°W / 58.6256333; -4.9992 |
| Year first lit | 1828 |
| Automated | 1998 |
| Construction | White tower |
| Height | 20 metres (66 ft) |
| Focal height | 122 metres (400 ft) |
| Range | 22 nautical miles |
| Characteristic | Gp Fl.(4) W 30 sec |
The lighthouse at the Cape was built in 1828 by Robert Stevenson and was manned until 1998, when it was converted to automatic operation by the Northern Lighthouse Board. Overlooking the Cape are the ruins of the Lloyd's signal station, which was used to monitor shipping.
The crumbling white houses in the block next to the lighthouse are mostly disused, although one has been renovated over the past ten years, and another is home to a room with information about George Stephenson.
The sole inhabitants are now John Ure and his family, who leased the main building, converted it into a three-bedroomed home, and who have opened what is claimed to be Britain's most remote cafe: the Ozone Cafe was opened in 2009 by the Princess Royal, and seats eight people. It is open all hours of the day and night throughout the year.
Read more about this topic: Cape Wrath
Famous quotes containing the word lighthouse:
“This lighthouse was the cynosure of all eyes.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“It is the cry of a thousand sentinels, the echo from a thousand labyrinths; it is the lighthouse which cannot be hidden.”
—E.M. (Edward Morgan)