Bass Rock Lighthouse

The Bass Rock Lighthouse stands on Bass Rock, a steep-sided island in the Firth of Forth off East Lothian. The 20-metre tower was built in 1902 by David Stevenson, who used stone from the island’s ruined 13th-century castle. The Northern Lighthouse Board decided in 1897 to place a light here and another at Barns Ness. Construction cost £8,087, and the first beam shone on 1 November 1902. The light was automated in 1988 and is now watched from Edinburgh. Before automation, the lighthouse burned gas made by vaporising paraffin oil to heat a mantle. A new 20-watt bifilament electric lamp replaced the old system. The tower still guides ships through the Forth, though no keepers remain on the rock. The island itself is famous for its gannet colony, adding to the scene. Visitors see the white-painted tower rising from the dark rock. The old castle foundations lie scattered near the base. The view stretches across the Firth to the Scottish mainland. Seabirds circle the cliffs, and the sound of waves fills the air. The lighthouse remains a quiet sentinel, its light still cutting through the night.