Arbroath Signal Tower Museum

Arbroath Signal Tower Museum Welcome to the Official page for The Signal Tower Museum run by ANGUSalive. DD11 1PU. DD8 1BB. DD10 8HF.

Signal Tower Museum is located near Arbroath’s picturesque and busy harbour, in a complex of buildings which were originally used as the shore station and accommodation for the Bell Rock Lighthouse. Built in 1813, Signal Tower served the lighthouse until it was decommissioned in 1955 and became a museum in 1974. Hear about the story of the magnificent Bell Rock Lighthouse and how the coastal town’

s connection with the sea has influenced Arbroath’s social, industrial and ecclesiastical history. Using multi-media displays and historic objects, the museum tells the story of Arbroath’s fishing and maritime industries. Visitors can climb the dramatic spiral staircase and visit the tower room by booking one of our enlightening tower tours or those who are unable to climb the 70 steps and ladder into the room there is an opportunity for a virtual visit, which is also available in Gaelic, Polish and Romanian. We have museums in Arbroath, Forfar and Montrose, plus galleries in Arbroath and Carnoustie Libraries which have fascinating displays of objects and photographs relating to the life and work in Angus. Behind the scenes there is a wealth of local history, archaeology, natural history and geology. Our Collections can be searched online at https://angusalive.adlibhosting.com/home

The museums and galleries all all free to enter and have busy diaries of events, temporary exhibitions and family activities. Opening Hours:

1 April - 31 October we are open everyday except Tuesday 10.30am - 4pm.

1 November 2025 - 31 March we are open Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday 10.30am - 4pm

Signal Tower Museum Arbroath
Ladyloan, Arbroath. Tel. 01241 464554
Email [email protected]

Meffan Museum & Art Gallery Forfar
20 West High Street, Forfar. Tel. 01307 491771
Email [email protected]

Montrose Museum & Art Gallery
Panmure Place, Montrose. Tel. 01674 907447
Email [email protected]

PLEASE NOTE LAST ADMISSION IS 3.30pm for all venues.

05/09/2026
05/09/2026

🍂 Harvest Happiness this October! 🍂

Looking for ways to keep the kids entertained during the October holidays? We've got a bumper crop of fun lined up across Angus!

From football and gymnastics to woodland adventures, wand-making workshops, spooky storytelling and even a haunted museum experience, there's something for every young explorer to enjoy.

📅 Activities run from 5-16 October 2026
Book now and let the autumn adventures begin!

👉 View all activities and book your place today
https://angusalive.scot/holiday-activities/

Do visit us here at the museum where you can watch a film on the building of the Bell Rock lighthouse, find out how the ...
02/09/2026

Do visit us here at the museum where you can watch a film on the building of the Bell Rock lighthouse, find out how the interlocking stones created this strong and formidable lighthouse and learn how the keepers survived incredible hardship during their stay on the Bell Rock. It's a truly incredible story that is shared here at the Signal Tower Museum.

A Scottish engineer built a lighthouse on a rock that spends most of its life sixteen feet underwater. He was allowed to work on it two hours at a time. ⚓

The Bell Rock lies eleven miles off Arbroath in the North Sea. It is a granite reef that uncovers only briefly at low water and then vanishes again, and for centuries it quietly took ships apart by the hundred. Everybody agreed something should be built there. Nobody could see how.

Robert Stevenson worked out how. Between 1807 and 1810 his men were rowed out and put down on bare wet rock in the open sea, where they cut foundations and levered enormous interlocking granite blocks into place while the tide came back at them. Until the base was above water they had roughly two hours of working time per low tide, and only in the summer months. They slept in a wooden barrack on stilts driven into the reef.

It took three seasons. The tower stands 115 feet high and its masonry has never had to be replaced or altered in more than two hundred years. It is the oldest surviving sea-washed lighthouse in the world, and it is still lit.

His grandson Robert Louis Stevenson went on to write Treasure Island, and always felt he had chosen the easier trade.

What would make a man volunteer for that job? Would you have gone out on that boat?

We can't wait to welcome you for Smokie Fest 2026 - it's going to be amazing!
02/09/2026

We can't wait to welcome you for Smokie Fest 2026 - it's going to be amazing!

30/08/2026

🪨✨ ROCKS OF ANGUS – Arbroath! ✨🪨

12/09/2026 - 13/09/2026 - 11:00 - 15:00

Join us at Arbroath Signal Tower Museum for a fascinating weekend exploring the rocks, fossils and geological wonders that tell the story of Scotland!

🔬 Discover amazing rocks, fossils and fluorescent minerals
👧 Fun hands-on activities for young explorers
🌋 Learn about the geological forces that shaped Scotland
🎤 ‘The Geology of Scotland’ talk at 1pm each day

📅 Free event – no booking required!
Events Times 12/09/2026 - 13/09/2026 - 11:00 - 15:00
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Suitable for all ages

Part of Doors Open Day 2026, this is a great chance to discover the incredible world beneath our feet and see Scotland from a whole new perspective.

📍 Arbroath Signal Tower Museum

Come along and get your rocks off! 😄🪨

Address

Arbroath Signal Tower Museum, Ladyloan
Arbroath
DD111PU

Opening Hours

Monday 10:30am - 4pm
Wednesday 10:30am - 4pm
Thursday 10:30am - 4pm
Friday 10:30am - 4pm
Saturday 10:30am - 4pm
Sunday 10:30am - 4pm

Telephone

+441241464554

Website

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