Trumpet Foghorn from a Lighthouse
Gairloch Museum

Rubh Reidh lighthouse stands at the entrance of Loch Ewe in Wester Ross. It was finally finished in 1912, after decades of requests for a lighthouse at this point.  

This large, cast-iron object is the foghorn trumpet. The fog signal at Rubh Reidh was produced by compressed air which was passed through a siren, magnified in a sound box, then emitted by this massive horn. The sound could be heard up to ten miles offshore, four blasts sounding every one and a half minutes. Their frequency was regulated by a large, clockwork mechanism. 

The lighthouse was designed by David Alan Stevenson, along with three apartments for the Principal Keeper and his two assistants, to be housed with their families. Supplies for the families were brought by boat, able to land at high tide – as long as the waters were calm!