Keith Hope Shackleton, MBE British, 1923-2015
Cape Wrath is the most North-Westerly point of mainland Scotland, featuring a dramatic coastal scape, which Shackleton has depicted from amongst the hurling waves and spray. In this instance, the word Wrath means ‘turning point’, derived from the Old Norse word ‘hvarf’, as the Cape was used as a geographical marker for Norse navigation. The word wrath, to mean severe aggression or rage to the point of extreme punishment, comes from the Old English word wrǣþþu, of the same meaning. This word does appear far more fitting for the landscape. Unyielding, dangerous and relentless, the battered and hardened steep, dark cliffs are completely barren, except for the quantities of seabirds which cling to the rockface. Shackleton has depicted Gannets in this work, but the Cape is also home to Puffins, Guillemots, Razerbills and Kittiwakes, among others. An estimated 50,000 seabirds come to the Cape in late spring and summer each year. The only human presence remaining is the tower of the lighthouse in the top righthand corner. The Lighthouse was built in 1828 and still operates today as an automated navigational aid via the Northern Lighthouse Board.