St Abb's Head Lighthouse

St Abb's Head is a rocky promontory by the village of St Abbs and a national nature reserve administered by the National Trust for Scotland. A signal station was established on the cliffs before 1820 and the facilities were shared by Trinity House and Her Majesty's Coastguard. The Northern Lighthouse Board recommended the building of a lighthouse at St Abb's Head after the sinking of the "Martello" on Carr Rock in 1857. The lighthouse was designed and built by the brothers David and Thomas Stevenson and assisted navigation before and after sight of the Bell Rock and Isle of May lights disappeared from view. The light began service on 24 February 1862 and initially used oil to generate its light, it was converted to incandescent power in 1906 and to electricity in 1966 and finally automated in 1993. Before automation the lighthouse was staffed by three full-time keepers whose duties included keeping detailed weather records. The lighthouse has two km of single track tarmac road leading to it from the main road near St Abbs village, however it is suggested by the National Trust that it is only used by disabled visitors and there is limited parking. Visitors can walk to the Head