click on picture to enlarge Picture by Charles Tait

One of the first four lighthouses built by the Northern Lighthouse Board was on North Ronaldsay the most remote of Orkney's North Isles. North Ronaldsay was selected because along with Sanday the island had caused many shipwrecks. The site selected for the lighthouse was low laying Kirk Taing. The low elevation required a tower 70 feet high. John White and James Sinclair were responsible for building this lighthouse according to a design done by Thomas Smith. In the early 1800s the light was removed and the responsibility was transferred to Start Point on Sanday as 22 additional shipwrecks had occurred in the area after North Ronaldsay was lighted.

An exciting book about 31 of the best scottish lighthouses explained in insightful text and magnificent colour photographs is available here.

If you would like to know what it is like to buy a Scottish lighthouse then check out The Last Lighthouse.

If you are interested in a video about Scottish Lighthouses you can get a good one here.

You can find more articles in the archive under Lighthouse Beacons From Scotland.