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Start Point Lighthouse

This lighthouse on the island of Sanday was built in 1806 to replace the then ineffective light on North Ronaldsay. It was said that the locals were uncooperative as they made money from the frequent wrecks. The lighthouse was the first in Scotland to have a revolving mechanism, commissioned from an Edinburgh clockmaker. It was rebuilt in 1870. Its vertical black stripes, first painted in 1915, are unique amongst the Scottish lights.