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Corsewall Lighthouse

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Corsewall Lighthouse
Corsewall Lighthouse and Hotel
Map
LocationCorsewall Point, Dumfries and Galloway, Kirkcolm, United Kingdom Edit this at Wikidata
OS gridNW9807572614
Coordinates55°00′25″N 5°09′33″W / 55.007°N 5.15917°W / 55.007; -5.15917
Tower
Constructed1816 Edit this on Wikidata
Built byRobert Stevenson Edit this on Wikidata
Constructionmasonry (tower) Edit this on Wikidata
Automated1994 Edit this on Wikidata
Height34 m (112 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Shapecylinder Edit this on Wikidata
Markingswhite (tower), black (lantern), ochre (trim) Edit this on Wikidata
Power sourcemains electricity Edit this on Wikidata
OperatorNorthern Lighthouse Board Edit this on Wikidata
Heritagecategory A listed building Edit this on Wikidata
Light
First lit1817 Edit this on Wikidata
Focal height34 m (112 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Range22 nmi (41 km; 25 mi) Edit this on Wikidata
CharacteristicFl(5) W 30s Edit this on Wikidata
This 1892 quill-and-ink commemoration of Scottish lighthouse engineers was discovered in 2024.[1]

Corsewall Lighthouse is a lighthouse at Corsewall Point, Kirkcolm near Stranraer in the region of Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland. First lit in 1817, it overlooks the North Channel of the Irish Sea.

Corsewall is defined as the place or well of the Cross.

History

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In 1814, a Mr Kirkman Finley applied to the Trade of Clyde for a lighthouse on Corsewall Point. The Northern Lighthouse Board investigated the site and in 1815 decided that a lighthouse should be built at the entrance of Loch Ryan, Galloway. When the engineer and lighthouse designer Robert Stevenson undertook an inspection voyage in December 1815, he observed that the lighthouse tower, at 30 feet (9.1 m), and house were under construction.[2]

Corsewall Lighthouse was first lit in 1817. That same year, the Principal Keeper was reported for incompetence after falling asleep while on duty. For a period of time the revolving apparatus of the light had stopped. The Keeper was suspended and demoted becoming an assistant at Bell Rock Lighthouse. He never again chiefly monitored a lighthouse.[2]

In November 1970, Concorde reportedly flew over the lighthouse on a trial flight and shattered panes of glass on the lighthouse. Later flights did not affect it.

In 1994, the light was automated and monitored from the Northern Lighthouse Board in Edinburgh. The lighthouse keepers accommodation has been converted into the Corsewall Lighthouse Hotel.[3][4][5]

In 1892, three engineers who were installing a new light hid a message in a bottle at the lighthouse. The bottle and message were discovered in 2024 while the lighthouse was undergoing refurbishment.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBC_20241109 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Northern Lighthouse Board history of the light Archived 2 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved on 24 June 2008
  3. ^ Corsewall Lighthouse Hotel, Retrieved on 24 June 2008
  4. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Southwestern Scotland". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  5. ^ Corsewall Northern Lighthouse Board. Retrieved 10 May 2016
  6. ^ "Hidden message in a bottle found in lighthouse wall after 132 years". BBC. 9 November 2024.
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