Bell Rock Lighthouse is the world's oldest surviving lighthouse built on Inchcape Rock in the North Sea, 11 miles off the coast of Angus, Scotland. The rock was the scene of many shipwrecks, as it lies just below the surface of the sea for much of the time, though part comes above the surface at low tide and is visible for three to four hours.
The rock is called Bell Rock because of earlier attempts by abbots from Arbroath to install a warning bell on it. The bell lasted only one year. This story is immortalised in the The Inchcape Rock, a famous poem by 19th century poet Robert Southey.
The lighthouse was built by a Scottish engineer, Robert Stevenson, and was completed in 1810. It has some similarities to the earlier Eddystone Lighthouse designed by John Smeaton, but also newer features, such as rotating lights, with alternating red and white lights. Standing at 35m high, the light is visible from 35 miles inland. The working of the lighthouse has been automated since 1998.
The lighthouse operated in tandem with a shore station, the Bell Rock Signal Tower, built in 1813 at the mouth of Arbroath harbour. Today this building houses the Signal Tower Museum, a visitor centre detailing the history of the lighthouse.
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