Inchcape Rock is a dangerous reef in the North Sea, off the coast of Scotland. The reef surface is visible only at low water. At high water, it is submerged to a depth of some 16 feet (5 meters). Inchcape Rock lies 11 miles (18 kilometers) from Dundee and 16 miles (26 kilometers) from the entrance to the Firth of Tay. According to a Scottish legend, a monk once placed a bell buoy over the rock to warn settlers. A pirate cut the bell free. Later, the pirate’s ship struck the rock and sank. The British poet Robert Southey retold this legend in his 1802 ballad “The Inchcape Rock.” Inchcape Rock is often called Bell Rock.
The Bell Rock Lighthouse was built in 1811 under the direction of civil engineer Robert Stevenson. It is the oldest existing rock lighthouse in the United Kingdom. See also Southey, Robert ; Stevenson, Robert .
