Ailsa Craig Lighthouse

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.

History

It was completed in 1886, the construction being overseen by Thomas and David Alan Stevenson.
Initially, the lighthouse used oil-burning lamps, but by 1911, these were replaced with incandescent lighting.
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.
Ailsa Craig is also known as "Paddy's Mile Stone" as it lies halfway between the cities of Glasgow and Belfast. As well as being a local landmark and a well known marine navigational hazard the island is a protected bird sanctuary.
In June 2018 the former lighthouse keepers' cottages, now derelict, were placed for sale by auction.