Located on Corsewall Point on the rocky north coast of the Rhins of Galloway, the Category A-listed Corsewall Lighthouse lies 9 miles (14.5 km) north northwest of Stranraer, providing a beacon for ships approaching the mouth of Loch Ryan.
Built between 1815-17 by the noted engineer Robert Stevenson (1772 - 1850) on the instructions of the Northern Lighthouse Board, its white-painted masonry tower rises to 34m (111 feet) and its light can be seen at a distance of 22 miles (35 km). The associated lighthouse keepers' cottages are of the usual style for the time, constructed of white-painted ashlar with raised quoins.
The first keeper was removed when the light stopped rotating after he had fallen asleep on duty. Originally illuminated by oil lamps, the lighthouse was modernised in 1891 and 1910. In November 1970, several panes of glass in the lamp-room were broken when the supersonic airliner Concorde passed by on test flight.
The lighthouse was automated in 1994 and is now remotely monitored from the Northern Lighthouse Board Headquarters in Edinburgh. The former keepers' cottages have been sold by the Board and now form the Corsewall Lighthouse Hotel.