No, it’s not a lighthouse...

Although sometimes mistaken for a lighthouse, this was actually the depot for the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB). The Board was responsible for maintaining all the lighthouses in Scotland. Supplies for the lighthouses were stored at the depot, and taken by boat to the various lighthouses by vessels which the Board owned. The lantern on top of the building, similar to a real lighthouse, was used for training and to test lights before they were put into in service.

Granton served as the base for the NLB vessels from 1874. Depot services in this area were moved to Leith in 1975, but are now concentrated on Oban.

The lighthouse depot’s role was commemorated by the unveiling of a National Transport Trust Red Wheel plaque on 29 September 2025. The Red Wheel Scheme was created by the National Transport Trust to recognise and commemorate the most significant sites of historical importance to transport heritage in the United Kingdom. The photographs below show the unveiling of the plaque by John Cameron of the National Transport Trust and Mike Bullock of the Northern Lighthouse Board.

There was a real lighthouse at Granton, at the end of the Middle Pier as shown on this map, which has since been replaced by a new lighthouse.

I am very grateful to Captain W L Hume who has contributed a page on the Lighthouse Vessels.