Corsewall Lighthouse

Corsewall Lighthouse quietly stands guard over the ferries traversing between Stranraer and Belfast on the northwest tip of the Rhinns of Galloway.  Deep-cut rock fissures bring waves battering up in spray on this jagged and dangerous coastline.  Unique rock forms can be found here, and close to the lighthouse is the Iron Age fort of Dunskirkloch.

This post may contain affiliate links. You can read my affiliate policy here.

The name Corsewall is thought to derive from “place of the cross” or “well of the cross.” 

Kirkman Finley applied to the Board of Trade at Clyde in 1814 for a light to be exhibited on Corsill Point, as it was then known, in response to the increase in shipping trade from Greenock, Glasgow, and Liverpool. The Northern Lighthouse Board approved the application the following year. 

Set in twenty acres of land, the 112ft Corsewall Lighthouse was engineered by Robert Stevenson. It is an unusual design, with a castellated collar about a third of the way up the tower, which may indicate that the original plan was for a shorter lighthouse.

A revolving light consisting of metal parabolic reflectors with Argand oil lamps was first lit in 1817. In 1892, a revolving optic was installed, changing the character to alternate red and white flashes every minute. Its range was extended from 16 to 20 miles. 

The optic sits on a roller bearing and, when installed in the late 1800s, would originally have been rotated by a clockwork mechanism, with a weight descending down the tower’s centre.  Now it is driven by an electric motor with a backup motor in case of failure.  An emergency flashing lantern with a 250-300mm polycarbonate lens and 60-watt lamp controlled with an electronic flasher was installed outside on the gallery handrail.

The foghorn, which gave four blasts every 90 seconds, has since been discontinued. The old red trumpet, which was previously used, still stands in front of the lighthouse, staring silently out to sea.

Shortly after the light was first shown, it is recorded that the revolving apparatus stopped when the Principal Keeper fell asleep while on watch. He was suspended from duty and later sent to Bell Rock Lighthouse, where he was demoted to Assistant Keeper.

Damage was sustained in November 1970 when a trial flight by Concorde broke several panes of glass in the lantern room as it made its flypast.  It flew past many times after, but no further damage was recorded.

The lighthouse was automated in 1994, and the keepers’ accommodation was sold privately in 1995. The lighthouse hotel changed hands again in 2021.

In early November 2024, while carrying out work at Corsewall Lighthouse, Northern Lighthouse Board engineers made an exciting discovery when they found a message in a bottle hidden deep within the lighthouse walls.

The letter, dated 4th September 1892, listed the three engineers who installed a new light and the names of the three lighthouse keepers present.

The men listed in the letter were John Westwood, a millwright; James Brodie, working for James Milne and Sons engineers; and David Scott. The keepers listed were John Wilson, Principal Keeper, John B Henderson, First Assistant, and John Lockhart, Second Assistant.

The reception, bar, restaurant and six bedrooms are located in the main part of the hotel, which is the former keepers’ dwelling.  For guests seeking further privacy, there are further suites located nearby.

Quiet, well-behaved dogs are allowed in the ground-floor hotel rooms.