Alternative Names Usinish Light; Sea Of The Hebrides
Site Type LIGHTHOUSE
Canmore ID 172200
Site Number NF83NE 7
NGR NF 8734 3503
Council WESTERN ISLES
Parish SOUTH UIST
Former Region WESTERN ISLES ISLANDS AREA
Former District WESTERN ISLES
Former County INVERNESS-SHIRE
Datum OSGB36 - NGR

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Usinish Lighthouse, D. and T. Stevenson, 1857, Tower, built unusually all of brick, with surviving perimeter wall and latrines (although the cottages have been reduced to footings); automated 1970. It is accessible only by boat, or by foot through the isolated glens that descend east from Beinn Mhor, Corodale and Hecla. These now empty glens are scattered with souterrains, abandoned dwellings and shieling huts.

Taken from "Western Seaboard: An Illustrated Architectural Guide", by Mary Miers, 2008. Published by the Rutland Press http://www.rias.org.uk

Notes and Activities

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Archaeological Notes

NF83NE 7 87338 35034

Lighthouse [NAT]
OS 1:10,000 map, 1970.

Location formerly entered as NF 8734 3503.

(Name cited as Usinish or Ushenish).
Admiralty List of Lights, 1980.

This island lighthouse defines the W shore of the Sea of the Hebrides from an isolated situation on the E coast of South Uist. Buildings and a helipad have benn constructed to the W of the lighthouse itself.
The lighthouse was first lit on 10 November 1857, having been constructed built as one of the major scheme (involving the construction of no fewer than 29 lights) carried ot by David and Thomas Stevenson between 1854 and 1878. It incorporated the new 'condensing' apparatus developed by Thomas Stevenson as an improvement to the dioptric system.
This lighthouse was automated in 1970, being one of the first group of major automatic lights. The gas-operated Dalen beacon was monitored from Neist Head lighthouse (NG14NW 5.00), on Skye.
Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 14 August 2008.
R W Munro 1979; K Allardyce and E M Hood 1986; S Krauskopf 2001.

1857	CONSTRUCTION

Notes Established in 1857.
R W Munro 1979

Further details

1970	MODIFICATION

Notes Auotmated in 1970.
R W Munro 1979

Further details

 

Books and References

Allardyce and Hood, K and E M (1986) At Scotland's edge: a celebration of two hundred years of the lighthouse service in Scotland and the Isle of Man, Glasgow
Page(s): 58, 154, 155 Held at RCAHMS J.6.4.ALL

Krauskopf, S (2001) Scottish Lighthouses, Belfast
Page(s): 15, 22, 40-1, 42 Held at RCAHMS J.6.4.KRA

Miers, M (2008) The Western Seaboard: an illustrated architectural guide, Edinburgh

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