Dunollie Lighthouse, Ganavan Road, Oban

Dunollie Lighthouse, built in 1891-1892 by the Northern Lighthouse Board under the supervision of engineers David A. Stevenson and Charles Stevenson, stands as a minor light marking the northern channel entrance to Oban Bay and the Sound of Kerrera. Located 400 metres to the south of Dunollie Castle on the shorefront at the northern edge of Oban, it sits approximately 7 metres above mean sea level within an enclosure of wrought iron railings.

The lighthouse is a small circular stone tower built of dark rubble whinstone with battered walls, measuring 6 metres in height. A top course of protruding boulders forms a parapet that supports a circular gallery around the lantern, enclosed by a galvanised safety barrier. A metal ladder provides access from ground level on the east side of the building to the lantern gallery. The hexagonal-shaped white lantern sits atop the gallery roof, fitted with rectangular windows facing out to sea and a collimating screen to restrict the angle of the light.

The construction of the lighthouse followed sustained pressure from Oban Town Council and the Harbour Authority. Initial representations were made to the Commissioners of the Northern Lighthouse Board on 5 November 1886, prompted by growing commercial and yacht traffic using Oban Harbour. The council noted that during a single month in 1866, over 300 vessels of 50-30 tons had made use of the anchorages at the northern end of Oban Bay. Early applications were refused on the grounds that the benefits were considered too local to merit funding from the mercantile marine fund. However, in 1890 the Commissioners recommended the erection of a light to be maintained by the harbour authority near Dunollie Castle. The West Highland Commission endorsed this recommendation, and the West Highland grant provided the necessary funds.

Construction began in September 1891. The light was supplied by mains gas from the Oban town supply and first shone on 13 February 1892. The lighthouse remains in operation.

Note: The metal railings surrounding the lighthouse are excluded from the listing in accordance with Section 1 (4A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997.