Ailsa Craig Lighthouse
Lighthouse
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Ailsa Craig Lighthouse is an active 19th-century lighthouse located on Ailsa Craig, an island in the Firth of Clyde, just offshore from Girvan, South Ayrshire, Scotland.
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Firth of Clyde
Scotland
Ailsa Craig Lighthouse | |
 | |
| Location | Ailsa Craig Firth of Clyde Scotland |
|---|---|
| OS grid | NX 0252199706 |
| Coordinates | 55.251898°N 5.108413°W |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1886 |
| Built by | Thomas Stevenson, David Alan Stevenson  |
| Construction | masonry tower |
| Automated | 1990 |
| Height | 11 metres (36 ft) |
| Shape | cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern attached to 1-storey keeper's house |
| Markings | white tower and lantern |
| Power source | solar power |
| Operator | Northern Lighthouse Board[1][2] |
| Heritage | category B listed building |
| Light | |
| First lit | 15 June 1886 |
| Focal height | 18 metres (59 ft) |
| Range | 17 nautical miles [31 km] |
| Characteristic | Fl W 4s. 18m 17M [Fl. 0.1 sec - ec. 3.9 sec] [Sector: 145° - 028°] |
 | |
History
It was completed in 1886, the construction being overseen by Thomas and David Alan Stevenson.[3]
Initially, the lighthouse used oil-burning lamps, but by 1911, these were replaced with incandescent lighting.[3]
Fog signals were discontinued in 1987. Then, in 1990, the lighthouse was automated, and a refurbishment took place in 2001, when it was converted to run on solar power.[3]
Ailsa Craig is also known as "Paddy's Mile Stone" as it lies halfway between the cities of Glasgow and Belfast.[4] As well as being a local landmark and a well known marine navigational hazard the island is a protected bird sanctuary.[4]
In June 2018 the former lighthouse keepers' cottages, now derelict, were placed for sale by auction.[5]
