Restoration and upgrade work to the historic Westlight ‘upside-down’ Lighthouse, on Rathlin Island.
The works included internal and external sympathetic repairs and restorative works to Lighthouse, together with provision of new tourist information facilities, a café, data board, outdoor seating, pathways and signposting.
The overarching objectives of the project were to:
- Boost the tourism industry in Rathlin (the mainstay of the local economy & so vital to promotion of local social sustainability)
- Protect & grow the local ecosystem – Rathlin has a rare, untamed beauty. The wildlife is evident before you even step ashore – the ferry crossing presents many opportunities to spot auks, gannets & gulls, porpoises & dolphins. Seals & eider ducks laze around the harbour most of the year.
- Enhance knowledge & learning through the restoration of the lighthouse (making it suitable for public tours.
These have been achieved, beyond all expectation.
