steve

Noss Head Lighthouse Station

An Appreciation To The Team That Worked Here

2017~2018

The previous owner of Noss Head Lighthouse Station, Mr Ian Sinclair brought this place back from being derelict. The last years of Ian’s life were spent helping to restore the four Grade A listed lighthouse and four other adjacent buildings. Plus a huge effort along with the Castles Sinclair and Girnigoe nearby.

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^^ Before A Repaint ^^

Noss Head Lighthouse Tower

We just have to show you some BEFORE and AFTER photos of our old lighthouse station HQ.

=> This page is specifically for our own team: Led by Steve Williams and Paul Smith. These are two of the main guys who put blood, sweat and tears into the restoration of most of the 8 buildings on this site.

Russ McLean, one of the directors of Unique Property Bulletin Ltd., wanted to commend the efforts of all the good folk who rallied round to bring these buildings back to their former high quality condition.  A good way is with some “before” and “after” photographs.

^^ During A Repaint ^^

The photo above shows Noss Head Lighthouse Tower with professionally trained, rope access technicians for the challenging job of painting these iconic and frequently very tall structures.

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^^ During A Repaint ^^

Noss Head Lighthouse Tower

^^ After A Repaint ^^

Noss Head Lighthouse Tower

The first photo and this

show a grand improvement

These guys are the real deal. Technically called “Rope Access technicians”. They have to be VERY safety conscious as it is a long way down…

^^ Atop The Tower ^^

Would you step off of the balcony of a lighthouse tower with just a few ropes to hold you from oblivion.

^^ Extensive Rope Access Safety Training ^^

Even with all the health and safety regulations in the world, it takes a lot of willpower to step off of one of those high lighthouse tower balconies and start painting. In fact there are weeks of preparation + chipping + cleaning work to be completed first. The theme of height is so often part of lighthouse life.

A huge lump of concrete slabs 48 feet below this balcony and those ropes is a sobering sight, especially in real life…

^^ From The Balcony ^^

Atop Noss Lighthouse Tower

Or on the other, seaward side of the lighthouse tower is a long drop onto sharp rocks 164 feet below…

^^ Noss Head Lighthouse Above The Rocks ^^

You can perhaps appreciate why Steve

was gripping the balcony railings very tightly

and how letting go of them was a challenge!

When someone reassuringly says “don’t look down”, what do you do….

.^^ From The Top ^^

Noss Lighthouse Tower

Even from the inside of the lamp room you can see over the cliffs and the vertigo really starts to kick in…

.^^ From The Lamp Room ^^

Noss Lighthouse Tower

We don’t have many photos from the balustrade. The next in this series is one of our favourites. It is a spectacular vista or the 33 acre lighthouse station and various lighthouse buildings.

=> The gentleman on the balcony, and he is one of life’s true gentleman, has an impeccable work ethic and had a great deal to do with the improved condition of these buildings.  He is also one of the kindest people you could hope to meet. Ironically, our Steven is not a fan of heights!

Russ McLean says he loved the adventure of bringing the lighthouse station back to life. But the friendships there will endure for a lifetime. It says a great deal that since an accident when Russ was hit on the head by a 5,000 ton ferry and ended up with a stroke, he was able to entrust all the keys for Noss Head Lighthouse Station to Mr Steve Williams.

=> In a way, Steve is a new generation for the keepers who no longer live onsite. He is the keeper of the lighthouse keys.

This photo may look like Steve showing off. Nope. He is overcoming a very real apprehension of heights. Russ knows as Steve was working hard to overcome a distress of high buildings to such an extent that he was vibrating as much as a jack-hammer. It took a lot to let go of the safety rails that day.

Stevie Wonders…

Fancy joining this vertigo cure therapy!

Both Steve and the owner of this website suffer from vertigo. This was deliberately letting go. Only for a few seconds as the knees were starting to feel like they were made out of plasticine and jelly. The photographer of this photo lasted three minutes and then was discreetly beating a retreat down the long spiral staircase. But Steve endured each day doing this until he overcame that fear of heights. Such is the measure of the man.

The Long Way Down…

From the balcony to deck height is 48 feet.

But on the other side are sharp,

tiger teeth, wave-swept rocks.

It’s a 164 feet drop!

A brave man and a wonderful person to have working alongside to get the whole lighthouse station back to where it should be.

=> It is very rare for the lighthouse tower and houses to all be painted at the same time.

Since the great automation phase of lighthouse towers in the 1980s and 1990s and subsequent retiral of most resident lighthouse keepers, the houses have been sold off. Therefore the frequency that the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) paint their towers is different to the frequency the new house owners deploy. This has the unfortunate result that when the lighthouse tower looks bright and freshly painted, the houses often look tired and in need of TLC. Or the other way around: nicely painted houses and a dismal, weather-beaten looking lighthouse tower!

=> But thanks to the teams working up at Noss Head, BOTH the tower AND the houses were all prepped and painted at the same time.

This meant the whole station looked in tip-top condition. So pleased the Northern Lighthouse Board that they asked permission to access and take this photo…

Local dignitaries and the MSP David Stewart

study the work completed at

Noss Head Lighthouse Station.

It is mainly because the WHOLE lighthouse station was painted at the same time that the civic dignitaries and local folk remarked upon the previous dissonance. Since the 2018 renovation, Noss Head buildings are a as close as you can get to the olden days when the former lighthouse keepers would ensure everything on their station was ship shape and Bristol Fashion.

^^ After Prep + Painting ^^

Noss Lighthouse Keepers’

House Chimneys’ Made Good

The chimney’s need painting too. This is one of our favourite photographs. The ingress of water was causing huge damage below in the actual building. Professional help and then a LOT of hard work cured that and made the main buildings watertight again.

=> Teamwork works.

Without the expertise of the Northern Lighthouse Board guys with decades of experience, our new generation keeper’s of the lighthouse buildings would nnot be as thoroughly proficient as they now are.

=> This means the buildings are regularly maintained by our local crew and should endure for decades to come.

Though when we mention getting into the harness kit and safety ropes, then climbing over that railing. NOPE. Thankyou. Our guys are happy to leave that to the NLB rope access guys.

Big respect to the crew who were prepping and painting these towers.

At ground level. They may seem like ordinary guys.

^^ Robbie & Andy ^^

These guys should actually have capes.

Seriously, just look at what Andy gets up to. By the way, maybe Andy’s wife might like to skip this next video bit.

Any resemblance to Gerard Butler

is entirely coincidental.

^^ Andy Ritchie ^^

Professional Scary Dude.

Often pictures paint the proverbial thousand words, so here is a series of what the professional lighthouse painting team did at Noss Head Lighthouse Tower AND SEPARATELY they contracted to paint the actual (now privately owned) former keepers’ houses. This is the point of this segment.

If you would like your lighthouse building professionally renovated and penultimately painted with the exact paint the lighthouse boards use, please call or text this website on…

=> The Lighthouse Paint Team: 0757 2768 795

Now for some BEFORE and AFTER photos…

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.^^ Before Painting ^^

Noss Lighthouse Keepers’ Houses

.^^ After Painting ^^

Noss Lighthouse Keepers’ Houses

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.^^ Before Painting ^^

Noss Lighthouse Keepers’ Houses

.^^ After Painting ^^

Noss Lighthouse Keepers’ Houses

..^^ During Painting ^^

The Contrast Is Quite Vivid.

Go on, treat your old lighthouse keeper’ houses to a professional prep and paint.

=> Call or text…

=> The Lighthouse Renovation & Paint Team: 0757 2768 795

Have your lighthouse houses and buildings prepped and painted by the team that are contracted by the Northern Lighthouse Board.

=> Including the specialist lighthouse formal paint coatings deployed by the actual lighthouse boards.

.^^ Before Painting ^^

Noss Lighthouse Keepers’ Houses

.^^ After Prep + Painting ^^

Noss Lighthouse Keepers’ Houses

..^^ Sometimes Scaffolding Is Needed ^^

Noss Lighthouse Tower

Removing Heavy Kit From The Top

The lighthouse crew can do pretty much all the jobs needed to bring a lighthouse tower and the rest of the lighthouse station buildings back to ship shape and Bristol fashion..

.^^ The Whole Point of All This ^^

Keeping ships, passengers and crew safe.

.^^Also Looks Beautiful Too ^^

.^^ Especially When ^^ 

^^ Prepped & Painted Professionally ^^

The Lighthouse Renovation & Paint Team

Call or Text: 0757 2768 795

We will put you in touch with the lighthouse professionals. You do not need to own a lighthouse TOWER. Many, many folk just own a former keeper’s cottage.

We trust the photos above show just how good these magnificent buildings look when they have some Tender Loving Care.

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Next segment…

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FOR SALE

Lighthouse Keeper’s Cabin: Fully Renovated

Broadband connected for remote-working.

Offers Over £119,000 ~ Freehold