Todhead Lighthouse

Todhead Lighthouse stands on the rocky coast of Aberdeenshire, south of Stonehaven between the villages of Kinneff and Catterline. The name comes from the Scots word for fox, ‘tod’, and the site is Category B listed. A short circular tower carries a lantern with triangular panes under a domed roof. The buildings are finished in roughcast harling with dressed stone around doors and windows. The lantern and lens together rise six metres above the base of the tower. The lighthouse was completed in 1897 to plans by the engineer David Alan Stevenson. It was electrified in 1978 and automated in 1986. After 2007 it was no longer needed for navigation, and the optic system with its clockwork mechanism and lens was given to the National Museum of Scotland. In 2013 Moxton Architects drew up plans to restore and extend the buildings, and the work finished in 2018, winning a local design award. Visitors now find a restored tower and extended keepers’ houses arranged around a small courtyard. The lantern still holds its original lens, now displayed as part of the museum’s collection. The rugged coastline offers views along the North Sea and back to Stonehaven. A short path leads down to the shore where fishing villages once landed their catch. The site is quiet, with only the sound of waves and seabirds.