Issued: 11 May 2005
Bell Rock Lens Unveiled
A new display at Arbroath's Signal Tower Museum tells the fascinating story of the Bell Rock lighthouse lens.
The lens has been moved to the museum from the Old Parish Kirk, which is being transformed into a new Access Office, to be displayed alongside other Bell Rock exhibits.
Unveiling the new exhibit, Angus Council's Environmental and Leisure Services Convener Joy Mowatt said: "This is a very welcome addition to the museum's display telling the story of the famous Bell Rock Lighthouse."
This is part of the first lens apparatus used at the Bell Rock Lighthouse, and was designed by David and Charles Stevenson, grandsons of Robert Stevenson, and made by Henry Lepaute.
The lens apparatus was exhibited at the 1901 Glasgow Exhibition before being installed at the Bell Rock Lighthouse.
To make way for the new lens the original lantern and the parapet that surrounded the top of the lighthouse tower had to be removed.
In 1905 the source of the light flashing from the tower would have been incandescent oil burners, which shone with a brightness equivalent to 390,000 candles. This method was used until the introduction of electricity as the light source at the Bell Rock.
This lens saw some of the most exciting times of the Bell Rock's history as it was in place during both World Wars.
During wartime, to prevent enemy vessels from being guided by them and to avoid being attacked, Scottish lighthouses weren't lit except briefly at the request of naval shipping.
In October 1915, the naval cruiser HMS Argyll ran aground on the Bell Rock as the request for the light to be lit never reached the lighthouse keepers.
Six weeks later the Admiralty insisted that telegraphy was installed at the lighthouse to stop this happening again.
The Second World War was just as eventful, with a German plane machine-gunned the lighthouse in 1940 and a year later a bomb exploding on the rock less than 10 metres from the lighthouse which was fortunately undamaged.
The lens apparatus to which this section belonged was replaced by the lens from the Chicken Rock Lighthouse at the time of electrification at the Bell Rock Lighthouse.
After its removal in 1965, the panel seen here was displayed at the Old Kirk, Arbroath.
In 1988 the electric light was replaced with an acetylene gas mantle until the gas was removed in 1999 and this light was replaced with a modern efficient halide lamp.