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Cairns of Coll (Suil Ghorm) Lighthouse
United Kingdom
Little available on-line.
Martin Martin wrote in 1695 that they were “remarkable for their fatality to sea-faring men”, which probably explains why there is now a lighthouse perched on top of Suil Ghorm, one of the larger islets of the group. However, even the light house, the only man-made structure on The Cairns, has never been lived in.
The year of first construction is 1909. It is a design of David Alan Stevenson and Charles Alexander Stevenson who were engineers of the noted Stevenson family, which worked for generations for the Northern Lighthouse Board. The lighthouse is a metal tower with gallery and lantern painted white, powered by solar panel, emits a white flash every 12 seconds and is operated by Northern Lighthouse Board. NB: this lighthouse is not listed on the NLB wbesite but all references online say it is operated by the NLB.
| Manufacture Date | 1908 |
|---|---|
| Lighthouse Construction | 1909 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Commissioning Body | Northern Lighthouse Board |
| Lens Order | 4th order |
| Lens Type | Fixed |
| Status | publish |
| Light Character | FL W(1) 12s 23 m 10 Nm |
| Lighthouse Markings | White tower (short) with external gallery. Solar panels visible nearby. |
| Lighthouse Parts | None known |
| Management Body Ports Authority | Northern Lighthouse Board |
| Preserver | None knowns |
| Coastal Erosion Vulnerability | |
| Condition Observations | Pictures online show the lighthouse as well painted and active - appears to be well looked after. |
| Open Status (Site) | Closed |
| Open Status (Tower) | Closed |
| Coordinates | 56.7043736,-6.4452725 |
| Other | Being a fatal hazard to unwary deep-water vessels, the Cairns of Coll are marked by a beacon constructed on Sùil Ghorm, called variously the Coll, Cairns of Coll, or Sùil Ghorm light, lighthouse, or beacon. Work has been done on it repeatedly for varying lengths of time. The only time The Cairns have made the news recently was when they were sold to the author Alexander McCall Smith who, captivated by their sheer beauty bought them for £300,000 on a whim after seeing them advertised for sale in The Scotsman. He has subsequently promised to leave his purchase to the nation upon his death. Apparently a family from the Isle of Barra to the northwest had owned The Cairns for generations. Quite why they owned them is unclear, maybe they just loved beauty as well. ARLHS SCO-032; Admiralty A4084; NGA 4020. |