another where is it?

Virtual pint to CTVA. It is Skerryvore, about 12 miles off Tiree. We anchored there for a day a few years back and went "ashore" to explore. This lighthouse must be named after the famous Scottish Band of the same name?
It is the tallest lighthouse in Scotland. Caught fire once in the 1950's, was made from stone from both Tiree and Erraid (near Mull), the Tiree stone in the first few courses being too hard to work quickly enough. The blocks range from 250kg to 2000 kg and were sailed out to the rock, then rowed to a crane lift ashore.

IMG_3147s.jpg
 
MM5AHO said:
It is the tallest lighthouse in Scotland. Caught fire once in the 1950's, was made from stone from both Tiree and Erraid (near Mull), the Tiree stone in the first few courses being too hard to work quickly enough.
Click to expand...

As far as I can remember, the stone for Skerryvore all came (like the stone for Ardnamurchan light) from Stevenson's quarries at Camus Tuath and Torr Mor on the north coast of the Ross of Mull. The rough blocks were taken from there to Hynish for detailed carving and test assembly. I haven't heard of any quarrying at Hynish.

For Dubh Artach the two stages were combined with a new quarry, workshop and harbour on Erraid. That's occupied by an offshoot of the Findhorn Community now. The last time I visited they had a symbolic labyrinth laid out on the circular platform originally used for trial assembly. Friendly people.

All from memory. Happy to be connected.
 
In this shot you can see the first few courses of the Tiree stone. Stevenson decided this would take too long as it is very hard gneiss. They them moved on to stone from the same quarry as Dubh Artach on Erraid.

IMG_3161s.jpg

This shot show the circle you mentioned. The stones were laid out in courses to check for fit. Each course of numbered stones was shaped to fit on land before being boat ferried to Tiree and on to Skerryvore. That's my memory from reading of the construction.
IMG_3126s.jpg
 
MM5AHO said:
In this shot you can see the first few courses of the Tiree stone. Stevenson decided this would take too long as it is very hard gneiss. They them moved on to stone from the same quarry as Dubh Artach on Erraid.
Click to expand...

By happy coincidence I have just found in the bookcase next to me (we moved house the week before Christmas and everything is a bit random) my copy of Joan Faithfull's "The Ross of Mull Granite Quarries" which has a whole chapter on lighthouses. You are quite right about the three courses of Tiree stone - I had forgotten them. However, she clearly says that Camus Tuath / North Bay was opened up to supply stone for Skerryvore, while Erraid was used for Dubh Artach. There is no mention of Erraid as a quarry before then, though of course it's possible that there were some small workings for local use.

Ardnamurchan was also made of Camus Tuath stone while Torr Mor / Tormore supplied some of the stone for Hyskeir, which was mainly made of local stuff.

As well as Joan Faithfull's book, there is more about this in "Coast - The Walks", the Erraid section of which was written by someone whose name I forget, but who also did the Arran, Portpatrick, Antrim, Achill and Dublin walks and only failed to get a Stevenson lighthouse into one of them ...

Camus Tuath is on my list of places to visit sometime. It seems that there are quite extensive remains, and the quarrymen's houses (similar to those on Erraid) are owned by the Iona Community. I keep sailing past it on my way to somewhere else. We're planning a jaunt round the west of Mull again this summer, so I must make an effort. I am most impressed at your jaunt to Skerryvore!
 
MM5AHO said:
Virtual pint to CTVA. It is Skerryvore, about 12 miles off Tiree. We anchored there for a day a few years back and went "ashore" to explore. This lighthouse must be named after the famous Scottish Band of the same name?
It is the tallest lighthouse in Scotland. Caught fire once in the 1950's, was made from stone from both Tiree and Erraid (near Mull), the Tiree stone in the first few courses being too hard to work quickly enough. The blocks range from 250kg to 2000 kg and were sailed out to the rock, then rowed to a crane lift ashore.

View attachment 75264
Click to expand...

:encouragement:
 
You have done well tracing the actual quarry for Skerryvore stone (other than the Tiree Gneiss), thanks for the info.
There's a little info in two books about lighthouses, one by Bella Bathurst (but that ones has a few numerical errors in my opinion), and another UK wide book, I don't have here where I am now, and forget the author/title. Both mention the Tiree stone working problems.
 
MM5AHO said:
You have done well tracing the actual quarry for Skerryvore stone (other than the Tiree Gneiss), thanks for the info.
There's a little info in two books about lighthouses, one by Bella Bathurst (but that ones has a few numerical errors in my opinion), and another UK wide book, I don't have here where I am now, and forget the author/title. Both mention the Tiree stone working problems.
Click to expand...

It would be interesting to know if Alan Stevenson ever planned to use more of the Tiree stone, or if it was just available from the building of the yard there. I am Making Enquiries.
 
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