There
were many ‘fences’ in the form of stone walls on Ailsa Craig Island so I hope you enjoy seeing what I found on our short time on the island today.
Lighthouse
The
Lighthouse was built between 1883 and 1886 by Thomas Stevenson; it is owned by
the Northern Lighthouse Board.
The
lighthouse was automated in 1990 and converted to solar electric power in 2001;
the island has been uninhabited since automation in 1990. Ailsa Craig
and its lighthouse feature extensively in Peter Hill's book Stargazing:
Memoirs
of a Young Lighthouse Keeper.
The gas works are still a prominent feature on the island and the cable powered tramway was partly built to haul wagons full of coal up to it from the North Port. Two gasometers held the coal gas that powered both the compressed air pump and the lighthouse light, however in 1911 the light was converted to incandescent lighting which was powered by electricity.The gas works became redundant at this time. Lawson records that oil was used to produce the gas for the lighthouse light.
Curling
stones
From
the mid-nineteenth century the island has been quarried for its rare type of
micro-granite with riebeckite (known as "Ailsite"), which is used to
make stones for the sport of curling. As of 2004, 60–70 per cent of all curling
stones in use were made from granite from the island and is one of only two
sources for all stones in the sport, the other being the Trefor Granite Quarry in
Wales.
Ailsa Craig produced two types of granite for curling, Blue Hone and Ailsa Craig Common Green. Blue Hone has very low water absorption, which prevents the action of repeatedly freezing water from eroding the stone. Ailsa Craig Common Green is a lesser quality granite than Blue Hone. In the past, most curling stones were made from Blue Hone but the quarry is restricted by environmental conditions that exclude blasting.
Kays of Scotland has been making curling stones since 1851 and has the exclusive rights to the Ailsa Craig granite, granted by the Marquess of Ailsa. The last "harvest" of Ailsa Craig granite by Kays took place in 2013, after a hiatus of 11 years; 2,000 tons were harvested, sufficient to fill anticipated orders until at least 2020!
We
had our lunch sitting outside the Lighthouse.
This was one of the party trying to find a ‘loo’ spot. When I went looking within the lighthouse
building complex, I was amazed to find rooms still with beds and bedding, furniture and
a loo!
It was if everyone had left in a great
hurry!
We
only had about 1 1/2 hours on the island and after lunch I walked to the right
hand side where there were gulls with their young which I will show you
tomorrow.
I hope you enjoyed this part of the journey round the coast of Ailsa Craig as we finally pull into the jetty.
I am linking this post with GOOD FENCES.
Many thanks for visiting and also to all those who leave comments.
What a fascinating place - loved learning about the curling stones too. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteVery informative and interesting Margaret. I bet there haven't been too many others who have walked round Ailsa Craig. I didn't know that you could do that. You must have been foundered and sore after your fast 'bouncy castle' speed boat trip getting there and then back! Hope you had a big flask of tea! What's next on your 'bucket list'? Apsailing down Scrabo Tower perhaps! lol Tom
ReplyDeleteHi Tom well I had to laugh at the end of your comment however i assure you I will NOT be abseiling down Scrabo Tower. No I was not foundered as you put it, as i was really prepared with warm clothes and as far as the boat goes, it was not like a bouncy castle. Going i stood the whole way as I did not want to miss anything or be sea sick although comig back I did sit on one of the back seats so if I saw anythiing i could jump up and view it better. I am sure they will do more trips next year. it is worth doing Tom. Where are you going to see so many Gannets again?
DeleteI think a wee trip to the Copelands or Rathlin would just do me well. I've done both. I'll leave the Bear Gryliss stuff to you and your team! lol
DeleteI think a wee trip to the Copelands or Rathlin would just do me well. I've done both. I'll leave the Bear Gryliss stuff to you and your team! lol
ReplyDeleteHello Margaret, I enjoyed this post and all the images. I like hearing the sounds of the birds on your video. The island and lighthouse are a beautiful! Have a happy day!
ReplyDeleteHow long were you on the island? You wrote 11/12 hours? Such a fascinating place. I will have to look it up on google dart now.
ReplyDeleteHI Marcia Sorry thlat was a 'typo' mistake. I have amended it now and it read - 1 1/2 hours - that is one and a half hours. Thanks for pointing this error out to me and I am glad you are enjoying the posts about Ailsa Craig.
Deletea ton of rock available for those stone walls! love the red gates, too. neat lighthouse.
ReplyDeleteI am astonished that there was so much industry on Ailsa Craig! Thank you Margaret for such educational and informative posts with super photos of the lighthouse and the walls and gates.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful light house with so many interesting features! Haven't seen many red gates around here. Thanks for taking us on your outing here!
ReplyDeleteInteresting, an old fashioned lighthouse with solar panels. I would love to explore this place.
ReplyDeleteParts of that lighthouse remind me of a castle. I enjoyed your brief video. It took me right into the scene in a way that a picture cannot.
ReplyDeleteHi Margaret!
ReplyDeleteLove visit your blog! You took beautiful pictures and share amazing places too.
I like so much Lighthouses.
The header picture is just stunning!
Wishing you and yours a nice weekend. :)
This is quite an interesting place. I was glad to see the lighthouse having some solar panels - even though it doesn't look very sunny!
ReplyDeleteI love the tracks--- I could spend all day snapping away in this place.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fascinating place. - It's a shame that no one inhabits the island now and that the building are in disrepair. I liked the lighthouse very much and the red gate was so cool. Your photos really told a great story.
ReplyDeleteThat is so interesting about the curling stones. We have a couple of old ones about the place so I will have to dig them out and take a look at a piece of the Island!
ReplyDeletegreat pictures Margaret, i like that rusty winch.
ReplyDeletepeter
Such a wild and interesting place! Beautiful lighthouse and I will have to look for the book. I love auto-biographies. It is also interesting about the curling stones. Have a nice day!
ReplyDeletePerfect Margaret, just perfect.
ReplyDeleteInteresting about the curling stones coming from this island. Enjoyed the photos and information!
ReplyDeletea great place to visit. Love the lighthouse :) Now I wait for the birds :)
ReplyDeleteThe photographs really give a sense of abandonment and almost a ghostly feel. A fantastic read as always.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fascinating place. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this post.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed this wonderful tour. What a great place to visit.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful and interesting post. Great pics and thanks for sharing about the curling stones. Wonderful photos. Have a nice weekend, cm
ReplyDeleteLove the old stone walls and the lighthouse!!!!
ReplyDeleteSuch an interesting place! Thanks for taking us along, Margaret.
ReplyDelete~
Wonderful series of images. Love the lighthouse, the old stone walls. Looks so desolate there and can almost feel a chill. Was it cold that day?
ReplyDeletegreat shots and very interesting informations!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting shots!
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend
Crissi