Corsewall Lighthouse

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Corsewall Lighthouse
Corsewell Lighthouse and Hotel - geograph.org.uk - 1708569.jpg
Corsewall Lighthouse and Hotel
Corsewall Lighthouse
Location Corsewall Point, Dumfries and Galloway, Kirkcolm, United Kingdom OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
OS grid NW9807572614
Coordinates 55°00′25″N5°09′33″W / 55.007°N 5.15917°W / 55.007; -5.15917
Tower
Constructed1816  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Built by Robert Stevenson   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Constructionmasonry (tower)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Automated1994  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Height34 m (112 ft)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Shapecylinder  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Markingswhite (tower), black (lantern), ochre (trim)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Power sourcemains electricity  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Operator Northern Lighthouse Board   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Heritagecategory A listed building  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Light
First lit1817  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Focal height34 m (112 ft)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Range22 nmi (41 km; 25 mi)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Characteristic Fl(5) W 30s  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
This 1892 quill-and-ink commemoration of Scottish lighthouse engineers was discovered in 2024. 18920904 Corsewall Lighthouse - message in a bottle.jpg
This 1892 quill-and-ink commemoration of Scottish lighthouse engineers was discovered in 2024.

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.

Contents

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

History

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

  1. 1 2 Northern Lighthouse Board history of the light Archived 2 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine , Retrieved on 24 June 2008
  2. Corsewall Lighthouse Hotel, Retrieved on 24 June 2008
  3. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Southwestern Scotland". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  4. Corsewall Northern Lighthouse Board. Retrieved 10 May 2016
  5. "Hidden message in a bottle found in lighthouse wall after 132 years". BBC. 9 November 2024.