This is an old revision of this page, as edited by HighKing (talk | contribs) at 23:49, 19 May 2008 (Corrected reference - Ireland is more westerly and is not shielded by this rock.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 23:49, 19 May 2008 by HighKing (talk | contribs) (Corrected reference - Ireland is more westerly and is not shielded by this rock.)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)- See Cortes Bank for the 'Bishop Rock' in the Pacific Ocean.
Bishop Rock (Template:Lang-kw) is a small rock at the westernmost tip of the Isles of Scilly (49°52.3′N 06°26.7′W / 49.8717°N 6.4450°W / 49.8717; -6.4450), known for its lighthouse, and listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the smallest island, with a building on it, in the world.
Containing room for nothing more than the uninhabited 45 metre tall lighthouse, the rock acts as the barrier between Great Britain and the Atlantic Ocean. The original lighthouse was begun in 1847, but was washed away before it could be completed. The present building was completed in 1858 and was first lit on 1 September of that year.
Bishop Rock is also the eastern end of the North Atlantic shipping route used by ocean liners in the first half of the 20 century, the western end being the entrance to Lower New York Bay. The ship with the fastest time (in either direction) between a line of longitude running through Bishop Rock and the end point at the approach to New York Harbor (first Sandy Hook, New Jersey and later Ambrose Light) claimed the 'Blue Riband' for the fastest crossing.
Lighthouse
Bishop Rock Lighthouse is operated remotely by Trinity House. A warning to shipping is necessary given the danger posed by the rocks around the islands - Sir Cloudesley Shovell's squadron of ships was lost there in 1707. The lighthouse was designed by James Walker and shone its first light on 1 September, 1858. In 1881, Sir James Nicholas Douglass inspected it and made plans to reinforce it; the work was completed in 1887.
See also
External links
| Isles of Scilly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Inhabited islands |  | |
| Uninhabited islands | ||
| Settlements |
| |
| Lighthouses | ||
| Symbols | ||
| Topics | ||
 | This lighthouse-related article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
 | This article about a building or structure in Cornwall is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
| This Cornwall location article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |