Corsewall Lighthouse Hotel

General information

History of Corsewall Lighthouse Hotel

Corsewall Lighthouse was built by Robert Stevenson, grandfather of the famous poet and author Robert Louis Stevenson. Building of the Lighthouse began on 17th June 1815, when the first stone was laid by Quintin Leitch, a Greenock chief magistrate who was commissioned by the Northern Lighthouse Board. On Sunday 15th September 1816 work was completed and the light shone for the very first time.

Built with the objective of safeguarding shipping coming into and going out of the Firth of Clyde and Loch Ryan, Corsewall Lighthouse has undergone several changes throughout its history. In November 1889, a fog signal was erected by the lighthouse commissioners, which was, and still is of a great advantage to ships entering the Firth of Clyde area from Ireland, England and beyond. Another important change came in 1994, when the lighthouse was automated as part of the programme to automate every Lighthouse in Great Britain, and the lighthouse keepers stepped out of the Lighthouse for the very last time.

During the war, the Lighthouse, like many others was painted black to avoid being seen. Until automation, The Northern Lighthouse Board kept Corsewall occupied with three full time lighthouse keepers, one of which would be the Head Lighthouse Keeper. A fourth keeper, known as the Reserve Keeper would be informed if he was needed. This post was not full time, and usually was held by a local farmer.

One of the greatest ever tragedies to hit both sides of the North Channel was the Princess Victoria disaster, the passenger and cargo ferry which sank on the 31st January 1953 on its way to Larne from Stranraer – 5 miles North, North East of the Copeland Islands off Belfast Lough, with the loss of 133 lives and which will ever be known as one of the blackest days in Wigtownshire history. The last known sighting of the ship from land was by a fisherman at Corsewall Point, and it was 4 miles North West when it sent out its first SOS signal. This was however only one of a few vessels which have hit trouble off the Kirkcolm coastline – in 1898, whisky ship "Firth of Cromarty" sand on the rocks at Corsewall Point. Only as recently as 1972 a bottle of whisky from the ship was actually recovered! Other sunken ships of note off the point include H. M. Auxiliary Cruiser "Bayano" in March 1915 – torpedoed by a German submarine.