When Robert Clyne arrived at Langness Lighthouse in 1884, the light had been in existence for only four years.  A great number of wrecks had taken place on the "Long Point" (as Langness means) over the years, possibly partly because of the 2 mile  protrusion of the point itself, partly because of the rapid tides that ran in the area, and partly because of the fierce storms which could arise, but as there were already lighthouses at Douglas Head and at the Calf of Man, neither too far distant, Trinity House believed that yet another lighthouse was unnecessary, even taking into account the busy shipping lanes of vessels plying between Liverpool and the rest of the world.  The problem was that the lights on the Calf of Man were often enveloped in fog. The problem of fog has given rise to much debate as to the positioning of  lighthouses - whether to build them at a height, to make them visible at a greater distance in clear weather, or whether to build them nearer to sea level, where they might be more visible in the fog.  (See Langness Archives)  Today, at the southern end of the Isle of Man, a total of four lighthouses can be seen - one is the elegant Rock Lighthouse built in 1875, standing on the notorious reef called Chicken Rock, a little way offshore at sea level, while on the Calf of Man island itself are three other lighthouses at differing elevations, two of these dating back to the early nineteenth century and designed to revolve simultaneously, pointing to the dangerous Chicken Rock and the third built as recently as 1968, at 312 feet above sea level. However, while the debate continued in the 1870s, so did the wrecks.  It was to be the development of the foghorn which eventually led Trinity House to agree.  While they continued to maintain that a light alone was unnecessary, they eventually conceded that a foghorn might be an appropriate warning, and if a station were to be built to man the foghorn, then a light might as well be sanctioned as well.  Thus it was that the Northern Lighthouse Board, who were responsible for all the lights on the Isle of Man, commissioned both a foghorn and a lighthouse at Langness, the latter being first exhibited in December 1880, four years before Robert's arrival.  A major lighthouse, which flashes 2 white lights every 30 seconds, the white, 19 metre tower can be seen from a distance of 21 miles, while the foghorn emits 2 blasts every 60 seconds.

TT Races, Manx cats and a Banking Centre cum Tax Haven are often associated with this small island which is approximately 33 miles long and 13 miles wide. The week we visited began with one of the fiercest storms of the year.  All the ferries to the island had been cancelled, as had all the turbo-prop flights.  Only the jet-propelled aeroplanes flying from Gatwick airport were able to land.  As we looked down over the Irish sea,  we could see masses of white spray against a black swirling sea and when we touched down, flying low over Langness lighthouse, which is only 2 miles from the airport, the wind and rain lashed down on us as we ran across the tarmac into the terminal.  At Peel where we were staying, enormous waves were breaking across the harbour wall, deluging the road and traffic, and we could not help but consider what it must have been like when, in similar weather conditions, in the isolation of  the remote point of Langness, one of Robert Clyne's children was born.  (See Langness Archives - newspaper cutting)  Thankfully, the following day dawned brighter and we set out to see the island.  The lighthouses were of course the focal point, but as we have so often found, in visiting them, we had not only been all over the island and seen the sights, but we had visited places that might easily have been overlooked or omitted in the normal run of events. 

I had seen the Point of Ayre lighthouse with its red stripe once before, with the aid of binoculars on a clear day, from the Mull of Galloway in Scotland, but I had not seen the smaller minor light which stands on the beach beside it, nor had I experienced the awful smell from the island dumping ground on the land adjacent to the lighthouse.  Fortunately, once we had passed it, the wind was blowing the smell away from us, and so the walk along the pebbly beach was pleasant if cold.  At Maughold Head, one of only two lighthouses managed by the NLB where the lighthouse is below the keepers' dwellings (the other is St Abbs Head), we met our first Manx cat, who obliged us by posing for photographs, with an expression which suggested he had done this on many a previous occasion.  From Maughold Head, we drove to Douglas via part of the TT course, climbing up into the mountains, and skirting round Snaefell, the highest peak which rises to 2034 feet high, before descending into the capital town to visit Douglas Head lighthouse.   There it was necessary to park in the nearest car park, for there is no road leading directly to the lighthouse.  It is approached via paths and steps.  The capital town of the Isle of Man, apart from its banks, Douglas had some fine shops and a very interesting museum.  Douglas also had its own harbour lights, as did many of the other towns.  At Port Erin, there is an attractive red and white minor lighthouse standing on the beach itself, while Port St Mary, Castletown and Peel all boast attractively coloured harbour lights.

In our hired car, we managed to cover a fair proportion of the island, travelling upon the modern well kept roads.  One night, however, in the 1880s, all the Keepers at the Point of Ayre lighthouse were taken ill, and none was well enough to man the Lighthouse.  That night, Robert Clyne volunteered to drive the 30 odd miles there in pony and trap, over the foggy and treacherous tracks that existed in these days, so that the watch could be kept.  He said that that was one of the most fearsome experiences of his career.  However, it was not all work and no play.  Robert enjoyed his family life and 6 of his seven children were born there, the youngest being named Mona, after the island (the Isle of Man is sometimes called "Mona's Isle").  On the recreational side, Robert and two of his colleagues, like many another lighthouse keeper, displayed a great deal of initiative.  There was ample land around the station on which to partake of sport; in particular, the ground was not unsuited to a game of golf.  The balls were no problem, but it was simply not possible to come by clubs.  However, the station workshop had a forge, tools and materials, and so it was not too long before the first hand made club was completed.  While Robert admits that few golf professionals would have cared to admit to owning that particular club, he and his colleagues were delighted with it, and it was not too long before they were producing not only good quality irons but drivers as well, and were joined for a game on their improvised course by professors from the neighbouring college. (See end of Langness Archives)

Robert Clyne and his wife, Isabella Davidson spent over eleven years on the Isle of Man; it must have been quite a wrench for his children at least when the time came to leave, on promotion, in the summer of 1895 to move to become Principal Keeper at Rattray Head on the east coast of Scotland.

Langness Archives, Rattray Head Lighthouse, Isle of May Lighthouse