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The Ruvaal, Rhuvaal, or Rubh'a' Mhàil Lighthouse is a listed 19th century lighthouse, located at the north-eastern end of the island of Islay, in the
Construction started in 1857 and it was completed in 1859. The total cost was £6,500 (equivalent to £ as of ).
The lighthouse consists of a brick cylindrical white washed tower, supporting the lantern and single gallery. It has 158 steps to the top of the tower. Sandstone was used to construct the window and door openings.
The architecture of the long keeper's cottages was criticised in a report from 1861 as looking 'more like dog kennels than anything else'.
Access to the lighthouse has always been difficult due to its remote location, bringing in supplies and relief keepers was eased by the use of helicopters in the 1980s. Helicopters were also used to help in construction of an overhead electricity line to the site in 1981. One helicopter crashed during the project, and the pilot survived the accident.
The new supply meant that a
Northern Lighthouse Board
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruvaal Lighthouse Lighthouses completed in 1859 Category B listed buildings in Argyll and Bute Category B listed lighthouses Lighthouses of Scottish islands Lighthouses in Scotland
Inner Hebrides
The Inner Hebrides (; Scottish Gaelic: ''Na h-Eileanan a-staigh'', "the inner isles") is an archipelago off the west coast of mainland Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, whic ...
off the west coast of Scotland.
The active lighthouse marks the northern approaches to the Sound of Islay
The Sound of Islay ( gd, Caol Ìle) is a narrow strait between the islands of Islay and Jura off the west coast of Scotland. It is about in extent from north to south and lies between Rubh' a' Mhàil on Islay and Rubh' Aird na Sgitheich on Ju ...
a narrow channel separating Islay from the adjacent island of Jura, and is one of the seven lighthouses operated by the Northern Lighthouse Board
The Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) is the general lighthouse authority for Scotland and the Isle of Man. It is a non-departmental public body responsible for marine navigation aids around coastal areas.
History
The NLB was formed by Act of ...
, which act as maritime aids to navigation on and around Islay.
History
The need for lights near the sound had been identified as early as 1835 byRobert Stevenson Robert Stevenson may refer to:
* Robert Stevenson (actor and politician) (1915–1975), American actor and politician
* Robert Stevenson (civil engineer) (1772–1850), Scottish lighthouse engineer
* Robert Stevenson (director) (1905–1986), Engli ...
, with the Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for International Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...
requesting that the light should cover the Neva Rocks to the west. This requirement meant that a substantial tower was required. It was designed by the brothers David Stevenson and Thomas
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the ...
the sons of Robert, from the notable Stevenson lighthouse engineering family.
Construction started in 1857 and it was completed in 1859. The total cost was £6,500 (equivalent to £ as of ).
The lighthouse consists of a brick cylindrical white washed tower, supporting the lantern and single gallery. It has 158 steps to the top of the tower. Sandstone was used to construct the window and door openings.
The architecture of the long keeper's cottages was criticised in a report from 1861 as looking 'more like dog kennels than anything else'.
Access to the lighthouse has always been difficult due to its remote location, bringing in supplies and relief keepers was eased by the use of helicopters in the 1980s. Helicopters were also used to help in construction of an overhead electricity line to the site in 1981. One helicopter crashed during the project, and the pilot survived the accident.
The new supply meant that a sealed beam
A parabolic aluminized reflector lamp (PAR lamp or simply PAR) is a type of electric lamp that is widely used in commercial, residential, and transportation illumination. It produces a highly directional beam. Usage includes theatrical lightin ...
electric lighting unit could be installed in 1982, and the light was automated the following year. The keepers were withdrawn and the cottages were sold, which are now private property. The tower and its light are still operated and maintained by the Northern Lighthouse Board.
The original 3rd order fresnel optic was preserved and now forms part of a garden feature at Colonsay House on the nearby island of Colonsay
Colonsay (; gd, Colbhasa; sco, Colonsay) is an island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, located north of Islay and south of Mull. The ancestral home of Clan Macfie and the Colonsay branch of Clan MacNeil, it is in the council area of Arg ...
.
Listed buildings
The entire station including the tower, keeper's cottages, and boundary walls are protected as a category B listed building.See also
*List of lighthouses in Scotland
This is a list of lighthouses in Scotland. The Northern Lighthouse Board, from which much of the information is derived, are responsible for most lighthouses in Scotland but have handed over responsibility in the major estuaries to the port au ...
* List of Northern Lighthouse Board lighthouses
This is a list of the currently operational lighthouses of the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB). The list is divided by geographical location, and then by whether the lighthouses are classed by the NLB as a 'major lighthouse' or a 'minor light'. ...
References
External links
Northern Lighthouse Board
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruvaal Lighthouse Lighthouses completed in 1859 Category B listed buildings in Argyll and Bute Category B listed lighthouses Lighthouses of Scottish islands Lighthouses in Scotland