Description
Halliman Skerries Beacon was built in 1844-1845 by the Northern Lighthouse Board to plans by the board's engineer, Alan Stevenson. This unlit beacon marks Halliman Skerries, a partially submerged group of rocky outcrops located around 1km north from the coast at Covesea, on the Moray Firth.Halliman Skerries Beacon stands on bedrock and is an iron structure 14m in height, constructed of six columns of cast iron with horizontal bracing. The columns are surmounted by a cylindrical open iron cage with a cross on top. This served as a place of refuge for shipwrecked mariners. An iron platform and ladder within the columned structure provided access from ground level to the cage.
Historical development
The New Statistical Account (Drainie, County of Elgin, NSA, Vol.xiii, 1845) describes the threat posed by Halliman Skerries to shipping: 'on this fatal reef, more than forty vessels are known to have been wrecked within these fifty years past, and many no doubt have shared the same disastrous fate, that never have been known or heard of'.
The loss of 16 vessels in a storm in the Moray Firth in November 1826 led to representations to the Northern Lighthouse Board for establishment of lighthouses at nearby Covesea Skerries and Tarbat Ness (on the Black Isle) to mark the wide entrance to the Firth (Paxton and Shipway 2007a, 137-8). Robert Stevenson's lighthouse at Tarbat Ness became operational in 1830. The coast between Inverness to Kinnaird's Head remained without a light. Meanwhile, calls for a light at Covesea continued, including a request by the Magistrates and Town Council of Inverness in 1834 (Caledonian Mercury 2 August 1834).
In response to a petition from the Provost, Magistrates and Council of Wick, the Northern Lighthouse Board announced its intention to construct a lighthouse at Covesea and a beacon on the skerries in January 1842 (Scotsman 19 January 1842). The iron for the beacon was manufactured by the foundry of the Shotts Iron Company, Leith and landed at Stotfield Harbour, Lossiemouth before being transported out to the skerries in boats (Scotsman 28 August 1844).
The completion of the beacon and lighthouse were announced by Northern Lighthouse Board in a Notice To Mariners (Lloyds List 14 April 1846).
Statement of Interest
Halliman Skerries Beacon meets the criteria of special architectural or historic interest for the following reasons:
- Halliman Skerries Beacon is probably the earliest surviving example of a mid-19th-century beacon and chair of refuge by the renowned Northern Lighthouse Board engineer Alan Stevenson and retains its original form.
- Although part of a relatively common building type, few examples of these beacons and chair of refuge survive in an unaltered condition, including the open cage, ladder, and cross.
- The coastal setting of Halliman Skerries close to Lossiemouth Harbour is largely unchanged since the beacon was built.
- It is of of interest as probably the earliest of the surviving fixed beacon and chairs of refuge built by the Northern Lighthouse Board.
- The survival of Halliman Skerries Beacon, together with the contemporary lighthouse at Covesea, are important for understanding the steps taken by Northern Lighthouse Board to safeguard coastal shipping in the Moray Firth during the 19th century.
Architectural interest
Design
The Halliman Skerries Beacon is of design interest as an early 19th century beacon and 'chair of refuge' built in Scotland to a design by the renowned engineer Alan Stevenson. The six-legged iron frame design of the Halliman Skerries Beacon was illustrated by Alan Stevenson himself (1850: Plate XIII). This example, and others of similar design (e.g East Vows, Firth of Forth) installed around Scotland from the 1840s (Munro, 1979;125) were based on Robert Stevenson's earlier concept for the nearby North Carr beacon. Robert Stevenson himself had described the framework of six cast iron pipes that formed the North Carr beacon, as being 'of great strength, fashioned somewhat after the manner of what seamen term a spar or spar beacon, from being made generally of timber, set up in the form of struts or spur-beams' (Stevenson 1824: 487).
The design of the Halliman Skerries Beacon differs however from North Carr and it was intended to perform more than one purpose. It served as a day mark to warn sailors away from the Halliman skerries. However, the beacon also served as a refuge for shipwrecked mariners and others in distress, being described in the Ordnance Survey Name Book (OS1/13/81/74) as being 'supplied with steps like a ladder and there is a cage upon the top for the purpose accommodating Shipwrecked Seamen'. The East Vows chair of refuge, apparently of identical design, was reported to be large enough to hold 8 or 10 persons. Of design interest, therefore, are the survival of the cylindrical cage along with the platform and ladder that enabled access for those in distress, and also the cross, reflecting perhaps the close historical connections between the church and the seafaring community.
Despite the exposed location of the Halliman Skerries, the cast iron beacon and refuge chair survives in its original 19th century form and is of design interest.
Setting
The location for lighthouses and beacons is critical to their function. Halliman Skerries Beacon occupies an exposed group of partially submerged rocky outcrops extending around 500m in an east-west direction, parallel to the Moray coastline. It therefore represented a significant hazard for vessels entering or leaving Lossiemouth Harbour or voyaging along the Moray coastline. The beacon continues to perform this function, remaining visible from the sea, and from the coast.
The nearby setting of Halliman Skerries Beacon contributes to our understanding of its function or historical context. The construction of the beacon can be understood through the survival of Covesea Lighthouse (LB37605) which is of contemporary date to the beacon. The beacon and lighthouse worked in tandem to warn vessels away from the hazards of the Moray coastline at this location. The presence of a beacon to mark Halliman Skerries was also important in connection with the development of Stotfield Harbour at the mouth of the River Lossie during the 1830s, principally to service a booming herring fishery on the east coast of Scotland. A much-expanded harbour at Lossiemouth remains in use [2020]. Covesea Lighthouse ceased to be operational as a lighthouse in 2012 when it was replaced by a North Cardinal navigation marker at the eastern end of the Halliman Skerries (around 1km to the north east of the Halliman Skerries beacon).
Historic interest
Age and rarity
Halliman Skerries Beacon is of interest as it is probably the earliest of the surviving fixed beacon and chairs of refuge built by the Northern Lighthouse Board to warn shipping away from hazardous reefs, and for the rescue of shipwrecked mariners and others in distress.
There are over 200 operational Northern Lighthouse Board lighthouses within Scotland, with many other examples either decommissioned or operated by other organisations and groups. They range from elegant stone pinnacles on remote reefs far out to sea, to small navigational beacons and modern modular lights. Of these, around 150 lighthouses of various shapes, sizes and types are currently designated as either listed buildings or scheduled monuments, representing a wide range of specific navigational dangers that required marking.
In 1979, researchers recorded around 50 unlit beacons of which the oldest was the beacon at North Carr, built 1818 (Munro, 1979:248). Halliman Skerries Beacon appears to be the earliest surviving example of a design of iron beacon, which incorporated a refuge chair (Munro, 1979: 122). There are a few other surviving examples (e.g East Vows, Firth of Forth) but these appear to be of slightly later date to Halliman Skerries.
Many other examples of these beacons and chairs of refuge appear to have been replaced or altered. For example, Stroma Skerry Beacon (Canmore ID283968) and Ruff Reef Beacon (Canmore ID74480) have had the refuge removed and replaced with a solar power pack and automatic minor light. The refuge on Halliman Skerries Beacon survives in its original form and is therefore a rare intact and early example of these mid-19th-century beacons.
Social historical interest
Halliman Skerries Beacon is of social historical interest in helping us to understand this system of seamarks and the contribution they made, alongside major and minor lights, in safeguarding shipping around the coast of Scotland.
The significance of Scotland network of lighthouses and beacons to the country's history is high. As an island nation with over 18,000 kilometres of coastline and over 900 islands, maritime industries such as fishing, coastal trade and transportation have long been significant social and economic factors. Scotland's coasts are also located on international sea-routes linking northern Europe with the rest of the world. The use of lighthouses and beacons was therefore vital to the safety of shipping in Scottish waters. Prior to the construction of Scotland's lighthouses, most navigation markers were landmarks visible only during daylight, and so nautical navigation at night or in poor conditions was a highly dangerous but sometimes unavoidable undertaking. This is reflected in the large numbers of records of ships and sailors lost in wrecking incidents around the coasts of Scotland during the 19th and 19th centuries.
The first lighthouse in Scotland was established on the Isle of May (SM887) in 1636. This light aided navigation into the many harbours around the Firth of Forth and took the form of a stone tower mounting a coal fired brazier. Although the Isle of May beacon was far from as bright as later examples, in good weather it good be seen from as far as the entrance to the Tay, and it would remain operational for 180 years. The Isle of May was followed by several other lighthouses and beacons being built from the late 17th century, improving navigation for the Tay, the Solway and the Clyde.
A common factor in all the lights established in the first 150 years was that they were conceived, built and operated by private interests and organisations, such as local magistrates, councils and individuals, supported by the king and parliament when necessary. By the early 1780s, however, there was a growing recognition that many shipping and navigational dangers existed far beyond the profitable harbours and estuaries that had driven the development of the early lights. To address this, in 1786 parliament passed "An Act for erecting certain Light-houses in the Northern Parts of Great Britain" and established a board of Commissioners (subsequently to become the Commissioners of the Northern Lighthouses and then the Northern Lighthouse Board), initially to undertake the work of building and maintaining lights at four locations, including Kinnaird Head (LB31888), Eilean Glas (LB13487), Mull of Kintyre (LB19874) and North Ronaldsay (SM6596). These lights were the work of the Board's first engineer, Thomas Smith, and his assistant Robert Stevenson, and used improved lighting technology in the form of whale oil burners and mirrored reflectors to enhance the brightness. Nevertheless, many lighthouses and beacons were built in response to local concerns as is the case here, with representations made by the local communities in response to the loss of life that occurred in the Moray Firth in connection with shipping incidents during the early 19th century.
Following the 1786 Act, the number of lighthouses around the coasts of Scotland began to rapidly grow, along with the technology and engineering skills employed. By the early 19th century oil lamps were replacing the earlier coal burners, and Robert Stevenson had been able to design and build a lighthouse on the Bell Rock (LB45197). Throughout the 19th and early 20th century, Robert Stevenson and his descendants continued to push the boundaries of technology and engineering to expand the network, including lights on Skerryvore (LB17489), Muckle Flugga (LB17479), Dhu Heartach (LB12320), and the Flannan Isles (LB48143). In addition to the major lights, fixed seamarks were also used, many marking rocks and reefs that represented a significant hazard to navigation and threat to life, but which were inaccessible and impractical from the point of view of erecting a lighthouse. Halliman Skerries Beacon provides an important illustration of the innovative designs of beacons and refuges that were developed during the 19th century to safeguard life at sea.
Association with people or events of national importance
The Halliman Skerries Beacon has a close historical association of national importance.
This beacon and other identical examples from the 1840s were designed by the internationally renowned engineer Alan Stevenson, engineer to the Northern Lighthouse Board (1843-53). Alan Stevenson was the second of several generations of Stevenson family appointed as engineers to the board. Robert, Alan, David, Thomas, and David A Stevenson were jointly responsible for the design and construction of lighthouses in Scotland over a period of nearly 150 years. Alan Stevenson's legacy is evident at sites such as Skerryvore, and Ardnamurchan. He also designed and carried out some notable improvements on dioptric apparatus used in lighthouses. Halliman Skerries Beacon is an example of Alan Stevenson's innovative work on seamarks and chairs of refuge to help safeguard loss of life.
External Links
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