The Scottish coastline is dotted with magnificent lighthouses. These bright beacons of safety have protected sea vessels for centuries, guiding them through the rough and rocky waters that surround the country. In this episode we take a look at Robert Stevenson and his lighthouse building dynasty, with a focus on Bell Rock Lighthouse, one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th century. We also explore the mystery of the Flannan Isles Lighthouse disappearances, where three lighthouse keepers mysteriously vanished one dark and stormy night. 

Stories of Scotland is a multi-award winning Scottish history podcast, proudly recorded in Inverness in the Highlands. We research our heritage and mythology podcast using archives, books, museum objects, and oral histories from across Scotland. 

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The Kate Shaw oral history can be found on Tobar an Dualchais: http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/en/fullrecord/54464

A great source of lighthouse history is the Northern Lighthouse Board website: www.nlb.org.uk

We quote the Caledonian Mercury on Saturday 25 August 1810 to describe Bell Rock lighthouse. We read a section of the ballad of  Inchcape Rock by Robert Southey published in 1820.

Flannan Isle lore can be found in a description of the Western Islands of Scotland: https://archive.org/details/descriptionofwes00mart/

The final poem is by David James MacKenzie and was published 1883 in Good Words for February.