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 Eilean
Glas Lightouse was one of the first four lighthouses
in Scotland and the first in the Western Isles
(Outer Hebrides) & the whole west coast
of Scotland. Building was started in 1787 (bill
passed 1786) by Mr Campbell (tacksman) and was
completed in 1788/89 by Thomas smith, founder
of the famous Stevenson dynasty of lighthouse
builders.
The
lamp was first lit on 10th October 1789. The
first lighthouse keeper was Alexander Reid who
came in 1789 and stayed for 35 years. The later
tower (now automated) and the keepers houses
were built between 1824 and 1826 and were designed
by Robert Stevenson. The last Great Auk in scotland
was captured here in 1821.
As
the lighthouse was in an isolated area, the
inhabitants needed to be virtually self sufficient.
They cultivated large areas of nearby ground,
surrounding it with a large dry stone wall,
in which they grew all manner of crops including
wheat and barley. If you visit the lighthouse
today you can still see these areas clearly
marked out and you can imagine how busy the
area must have been at harvest time.
Eilean
Glas was one of the first four lighthouses built
in Scotland following the setting up of the
Northern Lighthouse Board in 1786. The engineer
in charge of building operations was Thomas
Smith, an Edinburgh lampmaker, and father-in-law
of Robert Stevenson, first of the famous family
of lighthouse engineers Harris at this time
was owned by Captain Alexander MacLeod,who was
a kinsman of MacLeod of Dunvegan. In 1779 he
had bought the island from his chief for £15,000
when the latter had got into financial difficulties.
Now
styled MacLeod of Harris, Captain Alexander
was a benevolent and enterprising landlord.
He had amassed a large fortune in the East and
set about investing much of this in developing
the island's fishing industry and generally
improving the social and economic conditions
of his people. His schemes predated those of
Lord Leverhume by some 140 years. He welcomed
the proposal for the new lighthouse and gave
a site for this purpose. Kenneth Campbell was
tacksman under MacLeod at this time and when
he heard of the plans, he offered to undertake
the work himself with local workmen for a sum
of £500. From this he would pay local workmen
5/- a day.
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