A replica cart of the kind involved in the building of a miracle of Angus engineering has ‘come home’ to Arbroath’s North Sea shore.
The Woolwich sling cart carried stones involved in the construction of Robert Stevenson’s Bell Rock lighthouse.
And 211 years on, the beacon 11 miles off the Angus coast remains the world’s oldest surviving sea-washed light.
Now, a unique model of the cart and Bassey, the famous horse which hauled it, has been donated to the Bell Rock’s former shore station.
The Signal Tower is now one of the county’s most popular museums.
It charts the story of the famous 115-foot structure on the Inchcape Rock.
And that of the brave souls who manned the lighthouse until its automation in the 1980s.
Cart built for BBC series
On Saturday, Forfar vintage vehicle enthusiast Lyall Norrie delivered the cart he built nearly 20 years ago.
It was a special commission for a BBC docu-drama on the seven wonders of the industrial world.
Lyall is a long-time member of the Strathmore Vintage Vehicle Club.
He has been a stalwart of the group’s annual Glamis Extravaganza since its earliest days.
He said: “One of the film team came to us and asked if we could make a replica of the cart.
“It took the stones to the harbour for them to then be shipped to the Bell Rock lighthouse.
“But we only had two days to do it!
“Myself and fellow enthusiast Ian Anderson took one from a heap of carts that were needing work.
“We had a model in the workshop which we used to build it from.
“It was filmed down in Fife and they did some other things with the cart.
“It then went on display at various things and people loved to see it.”
Lyall is more used to restoring old lorries, including one truck from the famous Callander of Forfar fleet.
Museum’s gratitude
“At least the cart and horse have survived, so I decided to donate them to the Signal Tower,” he said.
“It’s definitely the right place for them.
“So I hope they’ll help add to people’s enjoyment when they visit.
“I saw that work had been done recently on the museum.
“So I thought it was the right time to donate it to them.”
And it is hoped the horse and cart will form part of a new courtyard display next spring.
Rachel Jackson of Angus Alive said: “We are very grateful to Mr Norrie for donating the unique cart and horse model which will bring to life the story of Bassey.
“The model will add to the social, maritime and industrial history stories told at the museum once on display.”
Virtual 360 tours of previously inaccessible parts of the building are also now available.
They are already proving popular and booking information is at www.angusalive.scot/whats-on/tower-tours/
Bassey and the cart
The foundation of Stevenson’s Bell Rock miracle of engineering were the intricately-cut dovetailed stones which formed the lighthouse.
And it was contractor James Craw who was given the task of transporting the blocks which weighed up to a ton.
He led trusty steed Bassey and the specially-adapted Woolwich cart from a yard at Ladyloan to the harbourside.
The building blocks were slung underneath to prevent them from damage which could have put the whole project in jeopardy.
And from there the batches of stones were shipped out to the Inchcape Rock.
Once there, a specially-constructed cast iron railway carried them to landing cranes to be hoisted into place as the lighthouse grew.
The cart, railway and cranes were just some of the innovative engineering developed to create the amazing structure.