The Isle of May – Scotland's first Lighthouse

On a bitterly cold morning in January 1791 Henry Dowie, Assistant Keeper of teh Isle fo May Lighthouse, descended the stairs from the roof of the structure at the end of his watch. He had been assigned the last watch of the night, roughly from 2 a.m. until sun up. He had spent a rigorous night tending the open coal fire. In fact he could remember few nights as miserable as this one had been. The bitter cold and strong wind demanded that he shovel 400 pounds of coal an hour into the coal grate. The shifting wind caused him to constantly move about the open roof to keep from being scorched by the flames. But it was done, and he was ready for some hot tea and bed.