The Campbell-Stokes Heliograph sunshine recorder from Tiree Met Station.
Courtesy of Mr Ray Sharp
The Campbell-Stokes sunshine recorder was invented in 1853 by John Francis Campbell, the editor of ‘Popular Tales of the West Highlands’, and modified by Sir George Gabriel Stokes in 1879. It consists of a glass sphere, about ten centimetres in diameter, mounted on a metal stand.
Manufactured to Met Office specification, the glass sphere focuses the rays of the sun to an intense spot which chars a mark on a curved graduated card mounted concentrically with the sphere. As the earth rotates, the position of the spot moves across the card. The card is held in place by grooves, of which there are three overlapping sets, to allow for the height of the sun during different seasons of the year.
Its main advantage is its simplicity and ease of use. However, the results require interpretation by an observer and may differ from one person to another.
Collection of papers regarding the closure of Tiree Met Office: extracts from Hansard, e-mails, letters, Met Office news releases, newpaper cuttings. Charts for 1961-1990 showing average monthly wind speed, temperature, sunshine and highest recorded gusts. Warnings book, Register of Correspondence , 2001 year planner.
Folder containing Tiree Met Office local staff instructions and visibility points.
Folder containing local staff instructions for Tiree Airport Met Office 1998-2000 and annotated colour photographs showing the visibility points around the Met Office as at June 1995.
Plastic bottle with a message from a boy in Donegal, dropped in the sea off the NW of Ireland on 12/8/1999 and found on Crossapol beach on 20/8/1999. (Bottle contains a blank sheet of paper from the same invoice book as the message)
Handwritten letter dated 1999 from Neil MacDonald (Niall Tais), Balevullin, about the provenance of a Celtic knot design intended for a table top.
“The Lodge wood carving class 1901-1902. Round table done by Johnny Barr 1901-1902. This was among a selection of designs left by my father, James MacDonald, who attended the same classes.”
The Dewar Shield for dinghies presented to Tiree Regatta Club by John Dewar & Sons, Distillers in Perth and engraved with the names of 25 winners 1969-1994.
Colour photograph of the `Saga` sailing in Longhope Bay in 1999.
The `Saga` sailing in Longhope Bay in 1999. The `Saga` is a Looe Redwing, 14 ft. long with a 26 ft. high mast and 147 sq. ft. sail, designed by Uffa Fox and built in 1949 by Billy Clouston. Pupils at Tiree High School were given sailing lessons in her by Donald MacKinnon of Sandaig and Bank Manager William Groat as part of the school outdoor activities.
