Kinnaird Head Lighthouse Museum
The lighthouse is built into a 16th Century castle owned by the Frasers who give their name to the region Fraserburgh. When the lighthouse was opened in 1787, its first keeper was paid a shilling per night, given free housing at the castle and enough pasture for one cow. The original lamp would have been fueled by oil and the keeper was expected to keep it lit all night. With the advent of electricity the Lighthouse was refitted in 1824 and would be manned by a team of three keepers, their families housed nearby.
The lighthouse has been a visitor attraction since 1995 and is a truly fascinating insight into the life and work of lighthouse keepers, now a thing of the past. The tour is taken up by extremely knowledgable staff, one a former keeper, who take you into the living quarters untouched since they were abandoned in the 1950s. Here the keeper would log weather reports every 30 minutes to be sent to the meteorological office. From there you climb up the tall spiral staircase to the beacon 112ft up from the ground. Here you'll be amazed to find that the lighthouse with its machinery dating back to the start of last century is in full working order.
Th museum close by illustrates how lighthouse technology developed seemingly at the hands of generations of the Stevenson family, and outlines the great maritime history of the lighthouse.
