Landmark occasion for Jolomo

A PAINTING of the Bell Rock Lighthouse by Scottish artist John Lowrie Morrison was unveiled last night by the Princess Royal at the Palace of Holyroodhouse to mark the 200th anniversary of the famous landmark.

The oil on canvas painting, Rain Squall on the Bell Rock Lighthouse, was donated to the board by the artist, known as Jolomo.

The lighthouse, situated about ten miles off Arbroath, was built by Robert Stevenson, the grandfather of the writer Robert Louis Stevenson.

Sir Andrew Cubie, the board's chairman, said: "For 200 years the Bell Rock Lighthouse has been a sentinel of safety for mariners on the east coast of Scotland through storm, fog, mist, enemy attack and fire.

"The dedication of the Northern Lighthouse Board and its keepers in the past and its technicians and crews today has saved hundreds of lives. JMW Turner painted the lighthouse in 1819, acknowledging its immediate iconic status.

"Happily this year, John Lowrie Morrison has added to our bicentennial celebrations by both painting the oldest sea-washed lighthouse in the world and generously donating that painting to the Northern Lighthouse Board." Mr Morrison said: "I've been obsessed with lighthouses since childhood."