The 23-foot Harbor Light Tower was once powered by whale oil and is now the smallest operating lighthouse in the world.
Its beam still reaches up to five kilometers and now runs on vegetable oil.
The famous lighthouse, located in North Queensferry, replaced the original lighthouse that was built across the street in 1811.
Heritage Trust secretary Garry Irvine, who moved to the area about 40 years ago, has looked after the historic tower since he retired.
Garry Irvine has looked after the historic tower since he retired ten years ago.
The famous lighthouse, located in North Queensferry, replaced the original lighthouse that was built across the street in 1811.
Its beam still reaches up to three miles and is now powered by vegetable oil.
He said: ‘The little light was built in 1811 in the adjoining lighthouse across the road, but it was not doing the job that was needed.
‘As the Queensferry Passage was the most important ferry in Scotland at the time, the ferry passage itself had to be illuminated.
‘They moved the light from the lighthouse to the small lighting tower, and that’s what we renovated to make it work again.
“We built it from an original located in the National Museum in Edinburgh, so we can truly say that it is the only working lighting tower in the world.”
Garry went on to explain how the Argand lamp is capable of providing up to five kilometers of light, using a reflector that magnifies the flame inside 2,000 times.
“The lamp runs on oil; originally it was whale oil, but we don’t use it anymore, so now it’s vegetable oil,” he said.
‘Turning on the lamp is quite unique and requires a bit of manipulation of the lamp.
‘The lamp is called an Argand lamp and was used in most of Robert Stevenson’s lighthouses in the time he lived.
‘The keepers of the light at that time climbed those 24 steps twice a day, sometimes more when they saw that the light was out.
“The light can last about 18 hours with its oil tank, which is more than enough for a cold winter day or night.”
The Argand lamp is capable of providing up to five kilometers of light thanks to the use of a reflector that magnifies the flame inside 2,000 times.
With the tank full of oil, the light can last about 18 hours
There are 24 steps leading to the top of the lighthouse in North Queensferry
Pictured: Garry maintaining the lighthouse, which is the smallest operating lighthouse of its kind.
The lighthouse provided much-needed light to the busy River Forth in Scotland, but due to its location, the original light had difficulty illuminating the entire crossing.
The students then began working with civil engineer Robert Stevenson with the goal of finding a suitable solution.
Stevenson and his team painstakingly built the Harbor Light Tower in 1817.
It had a new lighting room that was in a better position to illuminate the river, and the Argand lamp from the lighthouse was moved to the new tower.
But as railways began to spread across the country, the Queensferry Passage became less and less popular.
The light tower’s flame was finally extinguished in 1890, following the creation of the Forth Rail Bridge.
In the past, the lighthouse provided much-needed light to the busy River Forth in Scotland, but due to its location, the original light struggled to illuminate the entire crossing.
The students then began working with civil engineer Robert Stevenson with the goal of finding a suitable solution.
Stevenson and his team painstakingly built the Harbor Light Tower in 1817.
The light tower’s flame was finally extinguished in 1890, following the creation of the Forth Rail Bridge.
That was until 2014, when the North Queensferry Heritage Trust received approval to restore the lamp to full functioning.
Today, the lighting tower is fully functional and is a popular tourist site and museum.
Garry, who is also a hobby photographer, visits the lightroom two to three days a week and has welcomed visitors from more than 90 countries to the site.
The site, named after Queen Margaret, who regularly made the journey via Queensferry, received around 300 travelers a day, and the light tower now serves as a museum of one of Scotland’s most important crossings.
That was until 2014, when the North Queensferry Heritage Trust received approval to restore the lamp to full functioning.
Today, the lighting tower is fully functional and is a popular tourist spot and museum.
Garry, who is also a hobby photographer, visits the lightroom two to three days a week and has welcomed visitors from more than 90 countries to the site.
The light tower now serves as a museum at one of Scotland’s most important junctions.
“It was the shortest crossing from Fife to Edinburgh and was quite popular – it started the era of communications and transport in Scotland,” Garry said.
‘If anyone is interested in Stevenson Lighthouses, this is a great place to tick off your list.
‘We can light it up on request and we have signs that tell you a bit of the history.
“You can enjoy what many keepers of the light did, twice a day for hundreds of years: it is a very pleasant experience.”