Community / Sumburgh Head lighthouse turns 200
THE SUMBURGH Head lighthouse is celebrating a significant anniversary today (Friday).
It is now 200 years since it was lit for the first time.
It was designed by Robert Stevenson, and it is still a working lighthouse.
The A-listed building is now also part of a visitor attraction run by Shetland Amenity Trust following a £5.4 million refurbishment of the site. The centre opened in 2014.
The lighthouse is elevated 91 metres above sea level, with the light visible for up to 23 nautical miles and emits a flash every 30 seconds.
The light was fully automated in 1991 and a few years later the area – a fine viewpoint for birdlife, including puffins – was designated an RSPB nature reserve.
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