Butt of Lewis Lighthouse
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox lighthouse
| name = Butt of Lewis Lighthouse
Rubha Robhanais
| image = Lighthouse buildings, Butt of Lewis - Rubha Robhanais - geograph.org.uk - 76641.jpg
| image_width = 300px
| caption = Butt of Lewis Lighthouse
| location = Butt of Lewis
Lewis
Outer Hebrides
Scotland
| coordinates = {{coord|58|30|55.7|N|6|15|39.2|W|display=inline}}
| yearbuilt = 1862
| yearlit =
| automated = 1998
| yeardeactivated =
| foundation =
| construction = brick tower
| shape = tapered cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
| marking = brick unpainted tower, black lantern, ochre trim
| height = {{convert|37|m|ft|0}}
| focalheight = {{convert|52|m|ft|0}}
| lens =
| currentlens =
| intensity =
| range = {{convert|25|nmi}}
| characteristic = Fl W 5s.
| managingagent = Northern Lighthouse Board{{Cite rowlett|heb|accessdate=2016-05-18}}
}}
Butt of Lewis Lighthouse, designed by David Stevenson, was built at Butt of Lewis to aid shipping in the 1860s. Unusual for a lighthouse in Scotland, it is constructed of red brick, and is unpainted. The station was automated in 1998, one of the last to be converted. A modern differential GPS base station has now been sited on a nearby hill to further aid navigation. This hill was also the site for a Lloyd's Signal Station from the 1890s.
The road to the lighthouse passes a sheltered cove called Port Stoth. Agricultural lazy beds are also visible along the coast. The Butt of Lewis features some of the oldest rocks in Europe, having been formed in the Precambrian period up to 3 billion years ago.{{citation needed|date=November 2010}} Following the coast southwest from the lighthouse there is a natural arch called the "Eye of the Butt" ({{langx|gd|Toll a’ Ròigh}}). It can be best viewed from the Habost machair.
See also
{{Portal|Scotland|Engineering}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|position=left|Butt of Lewis Lighthouse}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120217112238/http://www.nlb.org.uk/ourlights/history/buttoflewis.htm Butt of Lewis history by the Northern Lighthouse Board]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120722071029/http://robinwilson.net/butt_of_lewis/ Panoramas of the Butt of Lewis Lighthouse] {{link note|note=QuickTime required}}
- [http://www.nlb.org.uk/LighthouseLibrary/Main/ Northern Lighthouse Board]
{{Lighthouses of the Northern Lighthouse Board}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Lighthouses completed in 1862
Category:Lighthouses in Outer Hebrides
Category:Category A listed lighthouses
Category:1862 establishments in Scotland
{{UK-lighthouse-stub}}