Noup Head Lighthouse, Westray, North Isles, Orkney Islands

Entry Name: Noup Head Lighthouse, Westray

Listing Name: Noup Head Lighthouse Including Perimeter Wall, Gatepiers and Sundial Base

Listing Date: 8 December 1971

Category: B

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 352870

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB18736

Building Class: Cultural

Also known as: Westray, Noup Head Lighthouse

ID on this website: 200352870

Location: Westray

County: Orkney Islands

Electoral Ward: North Isles

Parish: Westray

Traditional County: Orkney

Tagged with: Lighthouse

Description

David A Stevenson. 1898. 70 foot circular tower; domed light with lattice glazing; walkway at 2 levels. Adjacent 1950's single storey building to E (former occasional keeper's cottage). Harled; surrounding flagstones on ground; base course; long and short quoins to door, window surrounds and cottage quoins. Corniced wallhead to former cottage building; flat roof.

Timber boarded lighthouse entrance door to S; inscribed lintel: '1898 ERECTED BY THE COMMISSIONERS OF NORTHERN LIGHTHOUSE D.A.STEVENSON ENGINEER'; stone step. 1st floor window to W; 2nd floor window to N; 3rd floor windows to E and W. Narrower 4th floor; corbelled base. 2 4th floor doors lead to walkway; metal railings. Surmounting light; metal walkway; lattice railings; external ladder between light and 4th floor. Door to S elevation of former cottage; 2 doors to E gable wall; window to N.

INTERIOR: white glazed tiles to interior wall; stone spiral staircase; timber rail. Storage cupboard and window at 1st floor. Cast-iron stairs and rail from 2nd floor upwards; decorative balusters. Brass handrail from 4th to 5th floor. Tongue and groove boarding to 4th floor interior; brass ventilation covers; glass casing for clock (clock now gone). Cupboard within curvature of the wall. Modern lens (Pelangi) at 5th floor. Metal grid floor; concave roof; blacked out glass to land.

PERIMETER WALL, GATEPIERS AND SUNDIAL BASE

Rectangular-plan boundary wall; curved coping; cement clad. 2 tall, square-plan gatepiers to E with base; conical coping stone; metal gates. Identical single gatepier to S; metal pedestrian gate. Fluted cast-iron sundial base (sundial missing).

Statement of Interest

Noup Head Lighthouse is situated on the most westerly point of Westray. It was built to warn ships off the North Shoal, to the NW of the Orkney coast, at a time when the northern route around Orkney and Shetland was becoming frequently used. Work began in 1896 and was completed in 1898. The lighthouse was designed by David Stevenson, Engineer to the Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses and the contractor was John M Aitken from Shetland. It was the first lighthouse to use the system of a revolving carriage and mercury flotation, later adopted by other stations. 2 cottages for the Principal and Assistant keepers were built and also the boundary wall and a road connecting the lighthouse with the steading at Noup. The 2 cottages were demolished and replaced by a single cottage, built in the early 1950's, for the occasional keeper. The cottage is now used for storage. Noup Head became automatic in 1964, it continues in operation today (2000) and the power supply was changed from gas to wind and solar in 2000. Solar panels are situated to SE of tower; the panels and the detached single storey building to far E are not part of the Statutory List.

External Links

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