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Lighthouse Day
"When the Rock was hid by the surge’s swell,
The Mariners heard the warning Bell;
And then they knew the perilous Rock,
And blest the Abbot of Aberbrothok"
~Robert Southey, Inchcape Rock, 1820
The Abbot of Aberbrothock is forever linked to the Bell Rock Lighthouse through one of Scotland’s most enduring legends. In the 14th century, the Abbot is said to have placed a warning bell on the notorious Inchcape Rock—also known as Bell Rock—off Scotland’s east coast. This bell was meant to sound during storms, alerting sailors to the hidden reef below. But according to the tale, a pirate named Sir Ralph the Rover removed the bell out of spite or mischief—only to later perish when his own ship wrecked on the very same rock, lacking the bell’s crucial warning.
Centuries later, in the early 19th century, engineer Robert Stevenson answered the call for a permanent warning system by constructing the Bell Rock Lighthouse. Built directly on the treacherous reef, this marvel of engineering became the world’s oldest surviving sea-washed lighthouse. Remarkably, its original masonry base has stood untouched for over 200 years, a testament to the craftsmanship that withstood both time and tide.
The tartan inspired by this tale reflects the lighthouse’s flashing lights—white for the primary beacon, red for the secondary warning. Muted dark blues and blacks evoke the shadowy depths of the North Sea at night, while solid black honors the thousands lost to Inchcape Rock and the brave men who gave their lives during the lighthouse’s construction. The complex sett pattern even encodes the structural design of this iconic landmark, turning a tale of danger, loss, and triumph into a wearable story of light amid darkness. 💙 🖤 🤍 ❤️ 🔔 🚢 ⚓ 💡 🌊
The lighthouse has been a staple of culture in the world since ships were built to sail the seas. Protection from fog, reefs, rocks and other hazards of the coastline have been signaled by lighthouses, even before the advent of electricity.
Originally, large fires were lit in the top of the early lighthouses, to warn ship captains against sailing too close. Some lighthouses even used early forms of light refraction to make the light spread farther out to see – polished metal acted as mirrors.
This tartan, designed by Stephen Patrick Sim in 2012 is for the oldest sea-washed lighthouse still standing, the Bell Rock Lighthouse, and was entrusted to the The Northern Lighthouse Board, Edinburgh, for use as their corporate tartan.
From the designers's notes:
The tartan was designed to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Bell Rock Lighthouse, first lit on 1 February 1811.
The lighthouse lies on the treacherous Inchcape Rock (also called Bell Rock), 11 miles off Arbroath, on the Scottish east coast.
Designed and built by John Rennie and Robert Stevenson, but regarded as essentially Robert Stevenson's greatest engineering achievement. The lighthouse stands 35 metres tall. Built with a work force of approximately 110 men, the challenges faced in its construction led to it being described as one of the 'Seven Wonders of the Industrial World'.
The tartan design reflects the flashing lights of the lighthouse:
White for the primary, white light, and red for the secondary, red light (when first put into operation the lighthouse flashed an alternating white and red light).
The muted dark blue and black shades represent the treacherous dark North Sea at night.
Solid black commemorates the 1000s of lives lost on Inchcape Rock as well as the men who died during the construction of the lighthouse.
The geometry of the tartan creates two different impressions of the lighthouse on the horizon:
When flashing white and when flashing red. When flashing white, 90 threads between the black and white represent the 90 courses of stone blocks that make up the tower.
When flashing red, the lighthouse is represented at a greater distance, standing on the horizon.
To build the lighthouse a number of railways were constructed on the rock to transport the massive blocks of stone. The longest railway (terminating towards the west of Inchcape Rock at Hope's Wharf) extended for 290 feet, represented in the pattern of the tartan, which has a total of 290 threads.
For more about this historical engineering feat, click the painting by John Lowrie of a rain squall over the lighthouse, courtesy of the Northern Lighthouse Board.