Lybster lighthouse ‘definitely needs a lick of paint’
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An anonymous post on social media highlighted Lybster lighthouse’s 140th anniversary while lamenting the sorry state of its paintwork.
The ‘anonymous participant’ posted an image of the picture-postcard lighthouse at Lybster harbour in the Facebook page Lybster Community Group and attracted many comments including an update on planned work to brighten the iconic structure.
The original poster wrote: “The Light House at Lybster was built in 1884 and sadly, it's looking its age! Wouldn't it be nice if LLCDC, Waterlines Trust and The Harbour Committee joined ranks to repair and repaint the Light House in this its 140th Anniversary Year.”
The post attracted over 100 likes and many commented on the poor state of the building’s paintwork including a woman who wrote that it “definitely needs a lick of paint”.
The harbour was the scene of great activity in 2019 when it was used as the backdrop for a scene in the hit Netflix series The Crown. Set-builders created building façades on the quayside to transform the scenic location into Port Leith in the Falklands where Argentinians were discovered salvaging scrap metal in 1982 – an incident that proved to be a precursor to the Falklands War.
Local shopkeeper Donald Henderson wondered why some of the money paid out for filming rights and access by the TV production company could not be used to paint the lighthouse.
Peter Brown, chair of Lybster Harbour Committee, said: “There are plans currently in motion to get the lighthouse painted as well as other repairs to the harbour.
“The weather conditions as you will appreciate play a big part in any work that can be started. The harbour requires major repairs, unfortunately, and we are looking into seeing what funding is available.
“The harbour committee, LLCDC and hopefully Waterlines are trying to get funding for repairs to the harbour area.
“One of the things needed is a structural survey of the harbour that needs to be done in good weather conditions. The lighting on the harbour is currently in the process of being repaired [and] waiting on parts coming and hopefully [will be] finished soon.
“The main repairs will have to wait until the survey has been done and then we will be looking for quotes. These will be long-term repairs due to the weather conditions during the year and the amount of work required.”
Mr Brown says that such repair work should last a good number of years and that funding should hopefully be secured soon. He welcomes quotes from relevant companies able to carry out the work to a satisfactory standard.
“I have only recently been voted on as chairman of the harbour committee and we are open to any suggestions/help to improve the harbour area,” he wrote at the end of his post.
