Message in a bottle from 1892 discovered inside Scottish lighthouse

Engineers working on a remote lighthouse in Scotland were shocked to find a message in a bottle from the last engineers to work there over 130 years ago

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Engineers making repairs to a remote Scottish lighthouse were shocked when they found a mysterious message in a bottle hidden inside the walls.

However, they were even more surprised to discover that the note was written by the last group of engineers to work on the lighthouse over 132 years ago.

The hidden letter was discovered in the Corsewall Lighthouse which was built in 1817 near the village of Kirkolm on a peninsula overlooking the Irish Sea.

Inside a glass bottle, the crew found a letter written with quill and ink detailing the installation of a new lantern and lens, as well as the names of the engineers and lighthouse keepers.

Ross Russell, a technician who found the bottle, says: 'The note was just sensational, I was just in utter amazement.

'Being the first person to touch the bottle after 132 years was just mind-blowing. It’s a once in a lifetime find.'

For now, the letter is being held at the offices of the Northern Lighthouse Board which maintains Corsewall lighthouse, but the crew plans to return it to the walls once renovation is finished.

Alongside this letter from the past, Mr Russell and his team plan to place their own message in a bottle for future generations of lighthouse keepers to find.

Back in 1892, a team of engineers had just completed a major project upgrading the Coreswall Lighthouse.

They had made the long journey down from Edinburgh to install a more modern lantern and a new Fresnel lens to light the way for passing ships.

But before the walls were sealed for good, the crew sat down to write a note explaining their work for future engineers to discover.

The note reads: 'Corsewall Light & Fog Signal Station, Sept. 4th 1892.

'This lantern was erected by James Wells Engineer, John Westwood Millwright, James Brodie Engineer, David Scott Labourer, of the firm of James Milne & Son Engineers, Milton House Works, Edinburgh, during the months from May to September and relighted on Thursday night 15th Sept. 1892.

'The following being keepers at the station at this time, John Wilson Principal, John B Henderson 1st assistant, John Lockhart 2nd assistant.

'The lens and machine being supplied by James Dove & Co. Engineers Greenside Edinburgh and erected by William Burness, John Harrower, James Dods. Engineers with the above firm.'

The message was then rolled up inside a glass bottle and sealed with an old cork and some twisted wire before being tucked safely inside a wall cavity.

It was only 132 years later, as a team of modern engineers prepared to make repairs to the very same lens, that the note would be found.

The bottle was so far out of reach that the crew built a contraption out of rope and a broom handle to retrieve it from its hiding place.

However, the crew agreed that they should wait for the current lighthouse keeper., Barry Miller, to arrive before they opened their discovery.

Over the years the cork in the bottle had expanded and the wire had rusted away, meaning the men had to carefully drill out the cork to access the message inside.

Using an improvised tool made of pieces of cable, Mr Miller was able to safely extract the rolled paper through the bottle's narrow neck.

Mr Miller, speaking to BBC Scotland News, said that his hands were shaking as he retrieved the note.

Mr Miller said: 'It was so exciting, it was like meeting our colleagues from the past. It was actually like them being there.

'It was like touching them. Like them being part of our team instead of just four of us being there, we were all there sharing what they had written because it was tangible and you could see the style of their handwriting.'

The Corsewall Lighthouse has provided a vital beacon for sailors navigating the mouth of Loch Ryan and the stormy waters of the Irish Sea for almost 200 years.

A lighthouse keeper lived on-site and operated the lantern and rotating lenses from the time of its construction up until 1994 when the light became automated.

Since then, the lighthouse has been remotely operated from Edinburgh by the Northern Lighthouse Board.

This company operates more than 200 lighthouses across Scotland and the Isle of Man and is responsible for the building's upkeep.

Mike Bullock, chief executive of the Northern Lighthouse Board, says: 'The team of Technicians who found the bottle are the direct equivalent of the 19th Century engineers who left it there.

'I am sure James Wells and his colleagues who are named on the document would be delighted to know that their work continues and that Corsewall lighthouse is still on duty 132 years later in the care of professionals with the same passion and dedication.'