Mull of Kintyre Lighthouse

Located at the top of steep and remote westward-facing cliffs, the Mull of Kintyre lighthouse lies 9 miles (14 km) southwest of Campbeltown in Argyll and Bute. At a height of already 91m (300 feet) its stumpy white tower needs to rise only 12m (40 feet) above the cliffs. Built over almost two years by Thomas Smith (1752 - 1815), first engineer to the Northern Lighthouse Board, this was one of the earliest lights to be established when it was completed in 1788. The lighthouse was rebuilt between 1821 and 1830 under the supervision of Robert Stevenson (1772 - 1850). A foghorn was added in 1876 and the light was electrified in 1976, increasing its range to 24 miles (39 km). The lighthouse was automated in 1996 and is now remotely monitored from the Northern Lighthouse Board Headquarters in Edinburgh. The former lighthouse keepers' cottages are managed by the National Trust for Scotland and have been refurbished for holiday letting.


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