The Princess Royal made a secret trip to the Bell Rock Lighthouse last week to mark Arbroath’s Year of the Light celebrations.
Princess Anne, who has been fascinated by lighthouses since she was a girl, made the private visit aboard the Northern Lighthouse Board vessel Pharos, named after the seventh wonder of the world, the famed lighthouse of Alexandria.
The Princess Royal sailed around the lighthouse before hosting a reception at the Palace of Holyroodhouse to mark the 200th anniversary of Robert Stevenson’s masterpiece.
It’s the second time in just under a year that the Princess Royal has sailed around Bell Rock, which stands 11 miles off the coast of the Angus town. She made the trip in 2010 on Pharos, accompanied by chairman of the commissioners of Northern Lighthouses Sir Andrew Cubie.
Princess Anne has a passion for lighthouses, known as pharology, which goes back to a childhood visit with her mother to Tiumpan Head on Lewis. In the years since, she has visited many of Scotland’s 209 lighthouses on official and private visits and bagged more in the run-up to her 60th birthday last August on the Queen’s Western Isles cruise.
Harry Simpson, chairman of the Year of the Light steering committee, and Angus community planning officer Janet Russell, attended the event at Holyroodhouse and spoke to Princess Anne about the bicentenary celebrations in Arbroath.
“She is very interested in what we are doing in Arbroath to celebrate the 200th anniversary,” Mr Simpson said. “That makes everything we are doing worthwhile.
“It was a very prestigious event and it was an honour to be there representing the steering committee and the people of Arbroath. The whole evening was about the Bell Rock Lighthouse and the Princess Royal was actually out there on the Pharos around the Bell Rock.Knowledgeable”She’s been in the Bell Rock before and she’s very knowledgeable in all the things she does. She gave a speech and talked about the Bell Rock Lighthouse, the Stevenson family and all the history behind it.
“It was a wonderful night and Tuesday’s fireworks display was also fresh in my mind. It’s all happened very, very quickly and I know that everything else that’s happening during the Year of the Light will be a massive success.”
Princess Anne, as patron of the Northern Lighthouse Board, was in Edinburgh again on Friday, attending the bicentenary conference, The Bell Rock Lighthouse, The Stevensons And Emerging Issues In Aids To Navigation.
The world’s oldest sea-rock lighthouse stands 115ft 10in high and its light is visible from 35 miles inland. Its light first shone on February 1, 1811, having taken 110 men four years to build.
Arbroath and Area Partnership’s Year of the Light steering committee has planned a series of special events to celebrate the bicentenary, including boat trips to the Bell Rock.