History
The Isle of May Lighthouse lies at the mouth of the Firth of Forth, off the Scottish coast. The island's history dates back to the ninth century as a Monastic settlement. In the twelfth century, King David I founded a monastery on the island. Benedictine monks continued in peaceful occupation until the fifteenth century when the monastery was abandoned after destruction in a storm. Apart from the lighthouse the island is also known for its bird observatory, being declared a National Nature Reserve in 1956.
The lighthouse has been operating on the Isle of May since 1635, collecting dues from shipping for its maintenance. The first light, however, required three men employed annually to attend to the fire which consumed about 400 tons of coal a year. In 1790 a lightkeepers' entire family was suffocated by fumes, except for an infant daughter, who was found alive 3 days later.
Despite the fact that the light was regarded in its time as one of the finest in existence, its value as an aid to navigation was limited. The character of the light would vary considerably with a change in weather. On the night of 19 December 1810 two ships HMS Nymphe and HMS Pallas were wrecked near Dunbar because the light of a lime kiln on the coast had been mistaken for the navigation light on the Isle of May.
The Isle of May Lighthouse was fully automated in 1989 and the light, with a range of 22 miles, is automatically turned on when darkness has fallen.
Reconstruction on the Openlife Grid
The photographs here illustrate the Isle of May Lighthouse as reconstructed on the Openlife Grid by Kylie Baroque. It is a partial reconstruction from an earlier period of time prior to 1972 when the lighthouse and building would have been occupied by the Lightkeeper and his family. Kylie has restored the Lighthouse and the Manor to its former glory with an impression of the interior as it might have been, sheltered by the girth of strong stone walls from the stormy seas and winds.
The inworld lighthouse serves as a gallery with frequent exhibitions of design and art, the most recent being an exhibition of childrens' art and the theme of Easter.