Buchan Ness Lighthouse

Buchan Ness Lighthouse is located on a small island two and a half miles south of Peterhead, linked to the village of Boddam by a short bridge. 

It has had two Chance optics in operation.

Originally a fixed light was installed at the lighthouse, but as other beacons were being established to the north and south, it became necessary to give the lights their own unique character.  Kinnaird Head retained a fixed light, the 1833 Girdleness light at Aberdeen displayed two lights from one tower, and Buchan Ness was given a reflecting light that gave one flash every 5 seconds.  This is believed to be one of the first “flashing” lighthouses in Scotland. 

In 1907 the tower was painted white with a broad red band to distinguish the lighthouse as a daymark from other beacons along that stretch of coast.  Further improvements were made in 1910 when a hyper-radial dioptric lens replaced the reflecting light.

In 1978, the optic from Out Skerries Lighthouse in Shetland was transferred to Buchan Ness. The lighthouse was converted to electric operation in 1978, and its intensity again increased.  At around this time, a new fog signal building was erected in the southeast corner of the complex.

Parts of the original Out Skerries optic (First Order Chance optic) were destroyed when removed from the original lighthouse, but the central bullseyes were preserved.  They were transferred to the NLB Depot at Granton in 1972 and remained in storage until the original lens belt and bullseyes were adapted to be installed at Buchan Ness Lighthouse.

In December 2012, one of the worst storms in living memory hit the coastline, destroying a part of the lighthouse wall and building that housed the generator and causing some damage around the cottages.  The fog signal turret was badly damaged and was demolished shortly afterwards.  You can still find evidence of an earlier fog signal structure beyond the perimeter wall out on the rocks.

In 2012 significant work was carried out to upgrade the light at Buchan Ness.  The optic was removed and replaced with two LED lanterns.   The new light came into operation in April 2013, exhibiting its original character of one flash every 5 seconds. The light is now flashing rather than rotating, and the range was reduced from 28 to 18 nautical miles.

The former Out Skerries optic was sent to the Shetland Museum.  However, in 2018 it was donated to the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses in Fraserburgh.