Diamond Jubilee celebrations at Kinnaird Head Lighthouse, Fraserburgh

Diamond Jubilee celebrations at Kinnaird Head Lighthouse, Fraserburgh, a photo by iancowe on Flickr.

"To celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, a beacon was lit on top of Kinnaird Head Lighthouse. The lamp was also relit for a few hours as well - it was great to see the lighthouse in operation again for a short while.

Kinnaird Castle was built in 1570 by Sir Alexander Fraser, 8th laird of Philorth. It was sold to the Northern Lighthouse Board in 1787 and converted into the NLB's first lighthouse by Thomas Smith, a lampmaker from Edinburgh. The lighthouse has been modified over the years by the Stevenson family of engineers and was replaced by a modern lighthouse in 1991. It is now the centrepiece of the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses.

The history of the Wine Tower (to the right of the lighthouse) is unknown but it is as old as the castle. There is a legend that the daughter of one of the Fraser's fell in love with someone who the family didn't approve of. In order to prevent the daughter marrying this person she was imprisoned in the tower where she duly leapt to her death onto the rocks below. The rocks around the tower are painted red in commemoration of this story." (Ian Cowe)