Located on Foreland Point, a promontory on the east coast of Ailsa Craig, facing the South Ayrshire coast, is the Ailsa Craig Lighthouse. This 11m (36-foot) low white tower lies at the corner of a compound of ancillary buildings and was completed in 1886 by engineers Thomas (1818-87) and David A. Stevenson (1854 - 1938). Until 1911, the light was produced by burning paraffin, but subsequently electric-powered lamps have been used. Until 1935, communications were by carrier pigeons and, in bad weather, a system of fires.
The light has a range of 17 miles (27 km). It was automated in 1990 and is remotely monitored from the Northern Lighthouse Board Headquarters in Edinburgh. Solar panels were installed in 2001 to provide the power for the light.