Bressay Lighthouse
Encyclopedia
Bressay Lighthouse is a lighthouse
in the Shetland Islands
, Scotland
, 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south-east of Lerwick
. It is located on the island of Bressay
at Kirkabister Ness overlooking Bressay Sound.
It was one of four lighthouses built in Shetland between 1854 and 1858 which were designed by brothers David Stevenson
and Thomas Stevenson
. David Stevenson initially maintained that building a lighthouse in Shetland waters was impossible, too dangerous and too expensive, and that any ship's captain who took this route was mad.
The shore station was purchased by the Shetland Amenity Trust
in 1995 and has been converted into a Marine Heritage Centre. The fog signal was discontinued in the 1980's. The notable red horn was removed, however, the building that housed the siren is still in place and now houses a radar mast, and the five pressurised air tanks are still in place.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
in the Shetland Islands
Shetland Islands
Shetland is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies north and east of mainland Great Britain. The islands lie some to the northeast of Orkney and southeast of the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south-east of Lerwick
Lerwick
Lerwick is the capital and main port of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, located more than 100 miles off the north coast of mainland Scotland on the east coast of the Shetland Mainland...
. It is located on the island of Bressay
Bressay
-Geography and geology:Bressay lies due south of Whalsay, west of Noss, and north of Mousa. At , it is the fifth largest island in Shetland. The population is around 400 people, concentrated in the middle of the west coast, around Glebe, Fullaburn and Maryfield....
at Kirkabister Ness overlooking Bressay Sound.
It was one of four lighthouses built in Shetland between 1854 and 1858 which were designed by brothers David Stevenson
David Stevenson (engineer)
David Stevenson FRSE FRSSA was a Scottish lighthouse designer, who designed over thirty lighthouses in and around Scotland, and helped found a great dynasty of lighthouse engineering.-Background:...
and Thomas Stevenson
Thomas Stevenson
Thomas Stevenson PRSE MInstCE FRSSA FSAScot was a pioneering Scottish lighthouse designer and meteorologist, who designed over thirty lighthouses in and around Scotland, as well as the Stevenson screen used in meteorology...
. David Stevenson initially maintained that building a lighthouse in Shetland waters was impossible, too dangerous and too expensive, and that any ship's captain who took this route was mad.
The shore station was purchased by the Shetland Amenity Trust
Shetland Amenity Trust
The Shetland Amenity Trust is a charitable trust based in Shetland, Scotland. It was formed in 1983.Among the Trust's aims are to preserve and protect the architectural heritage of Shetland and it owns and operates many historical buildings...
in 1995 and has been converted into a Marine Heritage Centre. The fog signal was discontinued in the 1980's. The notable red horn was removed, however, the building that housed the siren is still in place and now houses a radar mast, and the five pressurised air tanks are still in place.