Described in the Oxford English Dictionary as ‘a tower or other structure containing a beacon light to warn or guide ships at sea’; the lighthouse has been around for centuries.
A navigational aid for maritime pilots dating back hundreds of years, the ‘modern era’ of the lighthouse grew in popularity in the 18th century due to the increasing levels of transatlantic travel and trade where they provided visible warning against hazards such as rocks and reefs.
Briggs Marine started undertaking basic refurbishment work on lighthouses in the mid 2000’s with major refurbishment work starting during the 2010’s and currently carry out regular general maintenance on nine lighthouses in Scotland.
All lighthouses currently being maintained by Briggs are listed under Historic Scotland’s category C. According to Historic Scotland, Category C buildings are “Buildings of special architectural or historic interest which are representative examples of a particular period, style or building type.”
Some recent refurbishment works include Steamboat Quay Outer and the maintenance of Ellie Ness, Inchkeith, Fidra and Oxcars on the Forth.
Briggs has also had the privilege of working on the refurbishment of the Gantocks lighthouse on the Clyde which has significant historical interest, having been designed and built by Robert Stevenson in 1886. Stevenson, a Scottish Engineer, was employed by the Commissioner of the Northern Lighthouse Board and is probably best known for his design of Bell Rock Lighthouse, the oldest washed lighthouse in the world.
Works undertaken on these lighthouses can consists of clearing gutters and general building maintenance to full refurbishments. The vital component, the lantern is in many cases being replaced with long range LED lanterns from self-contained to rotating. Briggs Marine’s lanterns are generally supplied by Sealite (www.sealite.com) or SABIK MARINE (https://www.marine.sabik.com/)
Basic maintenance is normally twice a year with full refurbishment on request.
If you are interest in working with Briggs Marine or have any question regarding our moorings and aids to navigation operations, please contact Malcolm Duncan, General Manager, on email@example.com.