Fidra
| Gaelic name | Fiodra |
|---|---|
| Norse name | Fiðrey |
| Meaning of name | Norse for "feather island"[1] |
 Fidra |
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| Location | |
 Fidra
Fidra shown within Scotland
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| OS grid reference | NT5186 |
| Physical geography | |
| Island group | Islands of the Forth |
| Area | c. 10 ha |
| Highest elevation | c. 20 m |
| Political geography | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | Scotland |
| Council area | East Lothian |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
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|
| References | [2][3][4] |
Fidra (archaically "Fidrey"[5] or " Fetheray"[6]) is an uninhabited island in the Firth of Forth, 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) north-west of North Berwick, on the east coast of Scotland.
Contents
Geography
Like the other islands near North Berwick, Fidra is the result of volcanic activity around 335 million years ago. Fidra consists of three sections; a hill at one end with the lighthouse on it; a low-lying section in the middle, effectively an isthmus; and a rocky stack at the other end.[7]
History
Its name is believed to be Old Norse in origin, referring to the large number of bird feathers found there. Like the nearby Bass Rock, it has a substantial seabird population, and is now an RSPB reserve. The village of Gullane lies to the south-west, and the nature reserve of Yellowcraig and village of Dirleton, to which parish Fidra belongs,[8] are to the south. Remotely operated cameras on the island send live pictures to the watching visitors at the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick.[9]
Upon the island are ruins of an old chapel, or lazaretto for the sick, which was dedicated in 1165 to St. Nicholas.[8] In the 12th century, the island formed part of the barony of Dirleton, which was granted to the Anglo-Norman John de Vaux by King David I. The de Vaux family built a stronghold, known as Tarbet Castle, on the island, but in 1220, William de Vaux gifted Fidra to the monks of Dryburgh Abbey, in the Borders. His successor built Dirleton Castle, on the mainland, as a replacement dwelling.[10]
Cultural references
Robert Louis Stevenson often visited the beaches at the area known today as Yellowcraig and it is said that he based his map of Treasure Island on the shape of Fidra. (This claim is also made about the island of Unst in Shetland.) He also mentioned Fidra in his novel Catriona.[7] Fidra Books is a publishing house, named after the island, and which uses Fidra's outline as part of its logo.[11] The progressive rock band Marillion also briefly mention Fidra in the song, Warm Wet Circles, which contains the line "She nervously undressed in the dancing beams of the Fidra Lighthouse",[12] the coast nearby apparently being a well-known courting spot.[12]
Lighthouse
Fidra Lighthouse
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 Scotland
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| Location | Fidra North Berwick Scotland United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Year first constructed | 1885 |
| Automated | 1970 |
| Construction | brick tower |
| Tower shape | cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern |
| Markings / pattern | white tower, black lantern, ochre trim |
| Height | 17 metres (56 ft) |
| Focal height | 34 metres (112 ft) |
| Light source | mains power |
| Range | 24 nautical miles (44 km; 28 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fl (4) W 30s. |
| Admiralty number | A2868 |
| NGA number | 2352 |
| ARLHS number | SCO-080 |
| Managing agent | Forth Ports[13] [14] |
The lighthouse, which was built in 1885 and automated in 1970, can be accessed via a primitive jetty on the east of the island.[3] The light flashes 4 times every 30 seconds.[15]
Footnotes
- ↑ Ryder, N.L. "Displacement of bone waste by seagulls" (pdf) Circaea: The Bulletin of the Association for Environmental Archaeology. 6 No. 2 (1990) University of York. p. 85. Retrieved 19 September 2010.
- ↑ General Register Office for Scotland (28 Nov 2003) Occasional Paper No 10: Statistics for Inhabited Islands Retrieved 9 July 2007.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Ordnance Survey
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Skene, W. F. (November 1862) "Of the early Frisian Settlements in Scotland". Antiquaries of Scotland. 4 Part 1.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Martine, John (1890) Fourteen Parishes of the County of Haddington, Edinburgh, p.50-51
- ↑ Fidra Web Cam Scottish Seabird Centre. Retrieved on 18 June 2008.
- ↑ Tabraham, Chris (2007) Dirleton Castle 2nd edition. Historic Scotland. ISBN 978-1-904966-41-8 pp.21-22
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Fidra The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 10 May 2016
- ↑ Fidra Northern Lighthouse Board. Retrieved 10 May 2016
- ↑ Reeds Small Craft Almanac, London, Adlard Coles Nautical, 2007
See also
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- List of lighthouses in Scotland
- List of Northern Lighthouse Board lighthouses
- Trinity House of Leith
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fidra Island. |
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