Ve Skerries Lighthouse

Heritage listing

Category B Date Added 07/12/2020 Local Authority Shetland Islands Planning Authority Shetland Islands Parish Walls And Sandness NGR HU 10450 65472 Coordinates 410450, 1165472 — Description Built in 1979 and designed by R J MacKay, Ve Skerries Lighthouse is an automated lighthouse constructed in pre-stressed, reinforced concrete and anchored into the bedrock using post-tensioned steel bars. It is located on the remote and exposed Ve Skerries, northwest of Papa Stour, southwest of St Magnus Bay on the west coast of Shetland. The tower is 16 metres (50 feet) tall and stands on a round, tapered concrete plinth, accessed by concrete steps from the skerry. There is a concentric rail around the base of the lighthouse and two reinforced concrete galleries with railings and handrails. External metal ladders with safety cages connect the galleries to the lantern. The lantern room has a battery-powered light with a range of 11 nautical miles. The triangular storm panes are made from polycarbonate sheeting. There are some solar panels attached to the gallery railings and there is a RACON (radar beacon) on top of the lighthouse. A concrete helipad is built into the rock a short distance away and connects to the lighthouse via a concrete walkway. Historical development Ve Skerries was built as an automatic minor light in 1979 and was the last significant rock station built by the Northern Lighthouse Board in Scotland. The Ve Skerries are dangerous for passing vessels due to unpredictable currents and the low depth of water around the skerries. Many ships have been wrecked on these rocks over the centuries. A lighthouse was considered on Ve Skerries as early as 1863, however the remote location of the skerries and the extreme weather it encountered meant construction of a lighthouse w

From Historic Environment Scotland under OGL v3.