HISTORY 5

The first in is believed The Flannan Isles to have been built on the Isle of May in the One of the most famous, or infamous, Activities Firth of Forth, in the mid-17th century, lit by a lighthouses in Scotland was designed by coal fire. Since then hundreds of lights have David Alan in 1899. This was the been set up round the coast of Scotland to This incident led to the poet, Wilfrid Wilson 1. Show on a map the location of all Flannan Isles light, situated on Eilean Mòr, guide mariners safely through treacherous one of seven remote, rocky, uninhabited Gibson, composing the poem Flannan Isle in the major lighthouses round the waters. The Northern Lighthouse Board 1912. The poem became very popular, and Scottish coast. islands out in the Atlantic approximately was set up in 1798 and now operates 206 twenty miles to the west of the Isle of is widely known to this day. The fact that lighthouses as well as many other buoys, the poet took a bit of ‘poetic licence’ with 2. Research the disappearance of Lewis. It became famous in 1900 when it beacons and other stations. three lighthouse keepers disappeared in the details has helped fuel the conspiracy the three men on the Flannan theories and the fascination with the story, Isles and write your own mysterious circumstances, giving rise to The Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) has a numerous conspiracy theories from then to and inspired other artists to use it in their newspaper report on the tragedy. fascinating history. One family of engineers the present day. own stories, songs, video games, and even – the Stevensons – was involved in designing in an opera. 3. Write your own story, based on a their lighthouses over four generations. This In those days keepers stayed for weeks lighthouse. work started with Thomas Smith, who was at a time on the lighthouses. James Flannan Isles lighthouse was manned until responsible for the NLB’s first lighthouse at Ducat was the Principal Keeper on the 1971, when it became automated like many Kinnaird Head in 1787. By 1797 his stepson, Flannan Isles, Thomas Marshall was the other lighthouses round our shores. All the Robert Stevenson, was building lighthouses 2nd Assistant, and Donald McArthur was NLB’s major lighthouses were automated with him. Robert Stevenson was a famous an Occasional Keeper, who was working by 1998. engineer, responsible for the erection of there because someone was on sick leave. at least 15 major lighthouses, as well as The disappearance of the three men was inventing intermittent and flashing lights, discovered on Boxing Day, 26 December and working on railways and bridges. Some 1900, when the lighthouse tender, a ship of his sons and grandsons followed him into called the Hesperus, called at the Flannans the profession, designing lighthouses for on a routine visit. They realised at once that the NRB until 1938. This means that most something was wrong, and when they went Game of the beautiful lighthouses seen round ashore they found the island deserted. The Scotland today were erected by Stevensons. last entries in the lighthouse logs were on Design a modern day warning 15 December, and an investigation at the system to keep ships off the rocks Another member of this famous family time concluded that the men must have round our shores. was the writer, , a been caught by an unexpectedly large wave grandson of Robert Stevenson the engineer. and swept out to sea. He would have travelled with his family to many remote lighthouses, and it is thought that these visits inspired some of his novels, such as ‘Kidnapped’ and ‘Treasure Island’. He was very proud of his engineering family, and wrote: “There is scarce a deep sea light Timeline from the Isle of Man to North Berwick, but 1699 1635 one of my blood designed it. The Bell Rock 1611 Eddystone Lighthouse was The Cordouan Lighthouse, the ‘patriarch The first mention of a Scottish ligh- built off the south west coast stands monument for my grandfather; the of lighthouses’ built near the mouth of thouse, built on the Isle of May in of England, the first open Skerry Vhor for my uncle Alan; and when the Gironde estuary on the west coast of the Firth of Forth on the east coast. ocean lighthouse. the lights come out along the shores of France. Scotland, I am proud to think that they burn more brightly for the genius of my father.”

HISTORY