Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
hoping to find someone at the lighthouse. The duty man was up in the lightroom, the
PLKwasalreadyasleepandtheterrifiedlightkeeper,inhisbedroom,hadbeentheonly
light visible at groundlevel. It was a great shock to find anyone but themselves in these
locations.
It is worth mentioning that the Isle of Man occupied a special position within the
NLB stations. In the days of manned lighthouses, the Isle of Man was regarded as
something of a plum posting for the keepers, due to the low tax regime there. Being in-
dependent of the UK, the Manx Government had the responsibility for lighting its own
coastline. It may seem odd that the NLB, with its primary area of operations in Scot-
land, should also be responsible for the Isle of Man, located much further south in the
middle ofthe IrishSea. However it came within the jurisdiction ofthe NLB from1815,
with a further Act of Parliament in 1854 enabling lighthouses to be built there should
they be required after the initial two stations were built. Despite the presence of the
NLBintheIsleofMan,theareasofresponsibilityofTrinityHouseandIrishLightsrun
fairly close to the Manx coast, and one of Trinity House's buoys is actually located off
the east side of the island. However, living on the Isle of Man did have its drawbacks
for'incomers'suchasthekeepers.Theirresidentialstatuswassomewhatambivalentin
that although the keeper was sent to do duty at whatever Manx lighthouse he was pos-
tedto,andhisfamilynaturallywentwithhim,whenitcametowives,sonsordaughters
working full-time that was considered to be a different matter entirely. In the summer
high-season, the authorities were never unduly bothered about the status of workers.
However in winter, any non-Manx workers were obliged to apply for a work permit in
order to continue their employment. In practice, they were rarely granted to lightkeep-
ers' dependents. Eventually, it was deemed unnecessary for a lightkeeper's dependents
to have to obtain a work permit in order to continue all-year-round employment.
Some keepers have said it is still difficult for them to explain the sheer grinding
routine, but each of them coped in their own way. Some were great readers. Others
made models, some fished, some even knitted.
At Sule Skerry, in common with the other rocks, there was a supply of coffin boards
(justincase).Itwasoftensaidthat84GeorgeStreethadthoughtofeverything.Onere-
sourceful keeper, who had previously been a boatbuilder by trade, built himself a small
dinghy using the coffins, which was highly unofficial of course. He used it for fishing
around the rock and eventually took it home via the
Pole Star
on one relief to Strom-
ness, where it remained for many years thereafter.
Each lighthouse station had its own particular characteristics and a station favoured
by one lightkeeper would not necessarily be favoured by another. For instance Dubh
Artach is still considered by one retired lightkeeper to be a dark and sinister place. He
related how, on one occasion in the 1970s, the coal fire in the kitchen/living room be-
