Kinnaird Head

Kinnaird Head is a rocky headland on the east coast of Scotland, where it juts into the North Sea within the town of Fraserburgh. The site is dominated by the old Kinnaird Castle, begun in 1570 by Sir Alexander Fraser, who also founded the nearby burgh. In 1787 the castle was turned into Scotland’s first lighthouse under the Commissioners of Northern Lights. The lighthouse was rebuilt in the 1820s and again in 1991, yet the original tower still stands. Nearby, the Wine Tower is a small 16th-century structure linked to the castle by local legend. Both buildings are protected: the lighthouse is category A listed and the Wine Tower is a scheduled monument. The castle’s builder, Sir Alexander Fraser, spent so heavily that he had to sell the family home at Philorth. His descendant, the tenth laird, fought at the Battle of Worcester in 1651 and later became Lord Saltoun. The last residents were Henrietta Fraser and her husband John Gordon, who left in 1787 when the Northern Lights trustees took over. Designed by Thomas Smith, the lamp was first lit on 1 December and the site now houses the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses. The museum displays lenses and artefacts from many Scottish lighthouses. Visitors walk past the Wine Tower to reach the lighthouse and museum. The tower’s three storeys contain carved stone pendants said to come from a hidden Catholic chapel. Local tales speak of a prisoner left to drown in the cave below and of a daughter who leapt from the roof. Red paint on the rocks marks the spot. Inside the museum, the original lighthouse lantern and modern galleries show Scotland’s maritime lighting heritage. From the headland there are wide views over the North Sea and across Fraserburgh’s rooftops.