THE BELL ROCK LIGHTHOUSE.

From History of Arbroath to the Present Time
by George Hay (1876)

...the erection of the lighthouse on the Bell or Inchcape Rock. A great storm, involving many shipwrecks, on the 2d, 3d, and 4th December 1799, directed public attention to the desirability of erecting some kind of beacon on this dangerous reef. Upwards of seventy vessels were wrecked at that time on the north-east coast, and many of the crews were lost. Five vessels were wrecked at Arbroath. and of these the crews of two perished. The John Caird, of Arbroath, was wrecked at Bervie, and her crew, seven in number, were drowned. The whole of the wrecks were attributed to the well-founded dread which mariners had of the unbeaconed Inchcape Reef. But for fear of the danger that lay in their way, they could have run for shelter to the Firth of Forth; and two of them in attempting to do so were broken to pieces on the Bell Rock. The most memorable wreck that had taken place on the Rock was that of the York, 74-gun ship, which was lost upon it with all her crew.

The scheme of erecting a lighthouse having been taken up by the Commissioners of Northern Lights, their engineer, Mr Robert Stevenson, made a survey of the rock in 1800. He found many traces of wreck upon it, including, in that military age, a considerable number of warlike weapons, and a silver shoe-buckle. In 1803, a bill was brought into Parliament to enable the Commissioners to proceed with the erection of a lighthouse; but it was lost in the House of Lords. Two years afterwards it appears to have been still found necessary to satisfy some objectors as to the necessity of the projected work.

In November 1805 the Town Council of Arbroath received a letter from Mr Cuningham, Secretary to the Northern Lights Commissioners, stating that ‘it was intended to apply to Parliament for aid in erecting a lighthouse on the Bell Rock; and requesting authentic information of the accidents which had recently happened; how far a lighthouse would have prevented such accidents; and in general, if such a light would prove beneficial to the commercial interests of the country.’ The Council appointed a committee to procure the required information. At length, Mr Stevenson's opinion as to the practicability of erecting a durable lighthouse on the rock having been fortified by that of Mr John Rennie, C.E., an Act of Parliament authorizing the undertaking was passed in 1806, and operations were commenced in 1807.

The lighthouse is a circular tower. It is on the principle, improved by Mr Stevenson, of Smeaton's work on the Eddystone Rock, but the erection was a task of greater difficulty than that earlier enterprise. The rock is exposed only for a short time at low water, and as it is about twelve miles distant from Arbroath, the nearest land, the task of building the lighthouse upon it was one of no ordinary magnitude. The lower courses of the tower are of granite, obtained from Aberdeenshire quarries, and the remainder are of freestone, from Mylnfield quarries, near Dundee. The stones were prepared in a workyard in Ladyloan, Arbroath; and on Sunday, 10th July 1808, the foundation was laid. A barrack-house for the reception of the workmen had been placed upon a temporary wooden erection. It was only in summer that the work could be proceeded with, and even then it was attended with frequent perils. Only two lives, however, were lost in the course of the operations. Whilst the work was going on, many were sceptical as to whether it would ever be completed, or, if completed, whether anybody would be got to venture his life in the lighthouse.

It was completed in the beginning of 1811; and keepers having been obtained without any difficulty, the light was exhibited for the first time on the night of the 1st February in that year. The tower is 100 feet in height,—or, with the light-room, 115 feet,—42 feet in diameter at the base, and 15 at the top. It contains six apartments, including the light-room, which from the first has been supplied with the best apparatus. The light is a revolving red and white light. The tower is supplied with two large bells, which in foggy weather are constantly tolled night and day, by the same machinery that moves the lights, so that the traditionary warning bell of the Abbot of has on the rock a literal and noble successor.

At Arbroath there is a signal tower for the lighthouse, fifty feet in height, with houses for those of the keepers whose turn it is to be on shore, and their families. Including this signal tower, the erection of the lighthouse cost �61,331, 9s. 2d.,—not a large sum to be spent on a work so beneficent. Terrible storms often rage around the lighthouse, and even in a summer storm the sea spray has been known to be dashed up as high us the lantern; but during the sixty-four years that have elapsed since the light was first exhibited, no vessel has been lost upon the Inchcape Rock. Sir Walter Scott, who visited the lighthouse in 1814, gave beautiful expression to his estimate of its value in the lines which he wrote in the visitors' book:

‘Far in the bosom of the deep,
O'er these wild shelves my watch I keep.
A ruddy gem of changeful light
Bound on the dusky brow of night.
The seaman bids my lustre hail,
And scorns to strike his tim'rous sail.’

From: George Hay, History of Arbroath to the Present Time (1876), 366-67. Paragraph breaks have been added to improve readability. (source)

See also:

1 February Today in Science History page for births, deaths and events on the anniversary of Bell Rock Lighthouse's first light.
The Lighthouse Stevensons, by Bella Bathurst - book recommendation.
Booklist for Lighthouses
Commemoration of Bell Rock Lighthouse web page.

Nature bears long with those who wrong her. She is patient under abuse. But when abuse has gone too far, when the time of reckoning finally comes, she is equally slow to be appeased and to turn away her wrath. (1882) -- Nathaniel Egleston, who was writing then about deforestation, but speaks equally well about the danger of climate change today.

Carl Sagan: In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion. (1987) ...(more by Sagan)

Albert Einstein: I used to wonder how it comes about that the electron is negative. Negative-positive—these are perfectly symmetric in physics. There is no reason whatever to prefer one to the other. Then why is the electron negative? I thought about this for a long time and at last all I could think was “It won the fight!” ...(more by Einstein)

Richard Feynman: It is the facts that matter, not the proofs. Physics can progress without the proofs, but we can't go on without the facts ... if the facts are right, then the proofs are a matter of playing around with the algebra correctly. ...(more by Feynman)