St Abbs Head Lighthouse is a major light. It was engineered by David and Thomas Stevenson, established in 1862 and automated in 1993. It flashes white every 10 seconds and can be seen at a distance of 29 miles. Its tower is only 9 metres high and it stands 68 metres above sea level. It was the first Scottish lighthouse to be fitted with a fog siren in 1876, necessitating an additional keeper, which in turn, necessitated the redistribution of garden space. [Every Keeper was entitled to a plot of land in which to grow his vegetables. Inevitably, there were many lighthouses built on such rocky or infertile land that there was no suitable place for a plot, in which case the Keeper was entitled to money in lieu, or occasionally a plot in the local village or farm. In the case of St Abbs, the original keepers had had the use of more than what was strictly speaking their entitlement and with the arrival of a third keeper, the land had to be re-divided. (see St Abbs Archives)]. St Abbs was also the first to be fitted with a radio beacon in 1968. It is the only lighthouse on the Scottish mainland whose lightkeepers’ cottages are built higher than the lighthouse*, and it is the first lighthouse on the east coast after crossing the border from England. Its geographical position made it important, in that it was responsible for keeping in touch several times in the day, with the keepers of the lighthouses at Bass Rock, the Isle of May, and Bell Rock, as well as for monitoring the automatic light at Fidra.
*(Outwith the Scottish mainland, only one other NLB lighthouse has cottages above the light – that being Maughold Head Lighthouse on the Isle of Man, whose five lighthouses are all administered by the NLB).
In terms of lighthouse locations, St
Abbs Head must be one of the less remote stations. St Abbs (named after Ebba,
a 7th Century Northumbrian Princess, who was shipwrecked in the area,
struggled ashore and founded a nunnery) is a pretty little fishing village with
a quaint harbour, nowadays quite a tourist attraction, boasting a pleasant
little tearoom. The village is much frequented by divers, many of whom are
marine biologists, wearing brightly coloured wet suits, flippers, snorkels and
air tanks as they explore the sea which in that part is particularly rich in
wild life. St Abbs is home to the Wolf fish
- a uniquely ugly deepwater species that has formed a rare shallow water
community in some of the underwater cliffs. Just out from the southern
edge of the harbour lies Cathedral rock. This is a ridge that stands off the
bottom, being exposed at low tide and covered by the sea the rest of the time.
It is pierced by a large arch, some 5m high, and about 6 wide - with another much
smaller arch - the Keyhole - stacked on top of that. Widely regarded as
offering one of
the prettiest shore dives in the country, St Abbs is fortunate - not many miles further up the
coast, the next lighthouse, Barns Ness, a minor light, is now sandwiched
between a cement factory on one side, and a nuclear power station on the other, the latter
making diving in the area inadvisable, and a definite prohibition on eating any
of the abnormally large shell-fish which are to be found. in the proximity of
the nuclear plant (although of course, one is assured that there is no danger
whatsoever from the plant itself!). 
Above the village is a car park and an excellent Interpretive Centre, linked to the St Abbs Nature Reserve which surrounds the Lighthouse land. Walking from the car park along the cliff path, formed from pink and purple volcanic lava, towards the lighthouse, we saw the homes of hundreds of sea birds, including guillemots and kittiwakes. Below us, a seal was lazily cruising around, watching with interest the human activity above and around. It was difficult to visualise times when events at St Abbs Head were far less pleasant – in the latter part of the First World War, enemy ships and submarines were quite frequently seen in the act of pursuing, attacking and even sinking other passing shipping. The lighthouse itself and the neighbouring Coastguard Station were of course also the objects of attack, and shells fell around the cottages, resulting in the wives and children having to be evacuated. Another time of great sadness was the time when the only son of a Principal Keeper was killed after falling from the cliffs - such an event must have been a constant worry to lighthouse parents, whose houses were so often perched on the edge of sea cliffs. (see St Abbs Archives).
It was to St Abbs that John and
Isabella Clyne and their family were sent in 1892, and where they lived for the
next 8 years and 9 months, the longest stationing in John's career. When he
arrived in October 1892, his children would have been six, five, two and one
years old respectively. Two more children were born, Charlotte Simpson Clyne (named after John’s mother) in November 1893, and Robert in September
1896. The family seemed to have been very happy
here. It was a station they often talked about, and much later, Charlotte named
her house “St Abbs”, while Robert’s daughter loved to visit. An interesting
postcard from my mother’s collection, although she was not born at
this time, shows the Transatlantic Liner “Mauritania” steaming past St Abbs
Head. (see
St Abbs Archives). All good things
however, must come to an end, and during the summer of 1901, John and
his family once more packed up all their possessions to head northwards again,
this time to Noss Head in the County of
Caithness.
