 Hynish on Tiree was the initial shore station and construction site . Located on the south west corner of Tiree , its proximity to Skerryvore and the resulting abundance of bounty from the wrecks , led to rentals being higher here and on the rest of the west coast than elsewhere on the island . Work on the new facilities began in 1837 ; granite blocks were quarried from Mull and brought to the village to be cut and shaped before being shipped out to the reef . Several cottages for the keepers were built in 1844 from the same stone as well as a massive pier and a tall granite tower to enable signalling to and from Skerryvore itself . Stevenson remarked that the hive of activity there contrasted with the " desolation and misery " he imagined to be the lot of the surrounding population . 
