Auskerry
Scots nameSoond[1]
Old Norse nameAustrsker
Meaning of nameeast skerry
Location
Auskerry is located in Orkney Islands
Auskerry
Auskerry
Auskerry shown within Orkney
OS grid referenceHY675165
Coordinates59°01′56″N 2°34′11″W / 59.032267°N 2.569761°W / 59.032267; -2.569761
Physical geography
Island groupOrkney
Area85 hectares (0.33 sq mi)
Area rank157= [2]
Highest elevation18 metres (59 ft)
Administration
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
CountryScotland
Council areaOrkney Islands
Demographics
Population2[3]
Population rank77= [2]
Population density4.7 people/km2[3][4]
Lymphad
References[4][5][6][7]
Auskerry Lighthouse Edit this at Wikidata
Constructed1866 Edit this on Wikidata
Built byDavid Stevenson, Thomas Stevenson Edit this on Wikidata
Constructionstone Edit this on Wikidata
Automated1961 Edit this on Wikidata
Height34 m (112 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Shapecylindrical tower with balcony and lantern[8][9]
Markingswhite tower, black lantern, ochre trim
Power sourcesolar power Edit this on Wikidata
OperatorNorthern Lighthouse Board Edit this on Wikidata
Heritagecategory B listed building Edit this on Wikidata
Fog signalNone
Focal height34 m (112 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Range20 nmi (37 km; 23 mi) Edit this on Wikidata
CharacteristicFl W 20s Edit this on Wikidata

Auskerry (Scots: Soond; Old Norse: Austrsker, east skerry) is a small island in eastern Orkney, Scotland. It lies in the North Sea south of Stronsay and has a lighthouse, completed in 1866.

Description

Auskerry is a small, flat, red sandstone islet, 3 miles (5 km) south of Stronsay.[10][11] A standing stone and mediaeval chapel are signs of early settlement.[10] The island was uninhabited for a time after the automation of the lighthouse in the 1960s. It was previously a popular location for hunting seals.[10]

Auskerry has been inhabited for nearly 50 years by a family (of the reporter Hamish Auskerry) who keep a flock of rare North Ronaldsay sheep.[12] There are three small wind turbines and four solar panels on the island, which provide most of the power. After a series of expansions and renovations, the single roomed stone bothy is now a modern house with four bedrooms, kitchen, shower room and living room. The chemical toilet is outdoors due to the complication of installing septic tanks. Mail is delivered from Stronsay, once a month, by a fishing boat.[13]

Lighthouse

The Hastings County, a 116-metre Norwegian cargo ship, ran ashore on north west of Auskerry in 1926 during thick fog.[14] The vessel broke in half and wreckage is spread over a wide area, with the engine on the beach.

The lighthouse lights the north entrance to the Stronsay Firth.[15] It was built in 1866 by engineers David and Thomas Stevenson.[16] It is attached to two flats; the lower one is used all year as a store and the top one is used mainly in summer.

Wildlife

Auskerry is designated a Special Protection Area due to its importance as a nesting area for Arctic tern and European storm petrel; 4.2% of the breeding population of European storm petrels in Great Britain nest on the island.[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Map of Scotland in Scots - Guide and gazetteer" (PDF).
  2. ^ a b Area and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.
  3. ^ a b National Records of Scotland (15 August 2013). "Appendix 2: Population and households on Scotland's Inhabited Islands" (PDF). Statistical Bulletin: 2011 Census: First Results on Population and Household Estimates for Scotland Release 1C (Part Two) (PDF) (Report). SG/2013/126. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  4. ^ a b Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.
  5. ^ Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 5 Orkney (Northern Isles) (Map). Ordnance Survey. 2008. ISBN 9780319228111.
  6. ^ Anderson, Joseph (Ed.) (1893) Orkneyinga Saga. Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. James Thin and Mercat Press (1990 reprint). ISBN 0-901824-25-9
  7. ^ Pedersen, Roy (January 1992) Orkneyjar ok Katanes (map, Inverness, Nevis Print)
  8. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Scotland: Orkney". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  9. ^ Auskerry Northern Lighthouse Board. Retrieved 24 May 2016
  10. ^ a b c "Auskerry". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  11. ^ Express, Britain. "Orkney geography and climate". britainexpress.com. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  12. ^ "Isle of Auskerry". Archived from the original on 3 September 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  13. ^ "Why postage should be cheaper in UK if Scots vote 'Yes'". BBC News. 19 April 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  14. ^ "Hastings County". North Isles Diving. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  15. ^ "SS Hastings County Ashore On Auskerry". Scran. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  16. ^ "Auskerry History". Northern Lighthouse Board. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  17. ^ "Special Protection Area description: Auskerry". JNCC. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2007.

External links

59°02′03″N 2°34′05″W / 59.03429°N 2.56798°W / 59.03429; -2.56798

North East Orkney Islands
Orkney
Lighthouses of the Northern Lighthouse Board
Authority control databases: Auskerry Lighthouse
Categories