Eilean a' Chuirn lighthouse

Eilean a' Chùirn Lighthouse was built in 1907 by the Northern Lighthouse Board to plans by David Alan Stevenson and Charles Stevenson. Standing on a raised concrete base, Eilean a' Chùirn is an octagonal concrete tower 11 metres high with a metal gallery. The tower is topped by a cast iron conical-roofed lantern with triangular-shaped storm panes and astragal bars. The whole structure is painted white, and the LED light displays three white flashes every 18 seconds and has a range of 5 nautical miles.

Access to the interior is provided with a wooden door while the exterior balcony level is accessed via an external metal ladder. Two solar panels are mounted on one of the concrete faces.

The interior is divided into two spaces. The lower section houses the banks of batteries. It has a small square window. An internal metal ladder leads directly to the upper section of the lantern housing the LED light.

In accordance with Section 1 (4A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 the following are excluded from the listing: the solar panels on the lighthouse tower.

Historical development

Northern Lighthouse Board announced in 1906, the contracting of Messrs D&J Macdougall, Oban to lay foundations for a minor light at Eilean a' Chùirn (Scotsman 7 July 1906). The lighthouse became operational in 1907 marking the southeastern corner of Islay and the southern approaches to the Sound of Islay.

Before its conversion in 2002 to solar power, Eilean a' Chùirn Lighthouse was originally powered by acetylene gas. Cylinders of acetylene gas were supplied to lighthouses to power the lights, creating a significant maintenance programme made difficult by the remote location of many of Scotland's lighthouses.