Cloch Lighthouse

Cloch Lighthouse stands on Cloch Point, a rocky headland on the east coast of the Firth of Clyde in Inverclyde, Scotland. The lighthouse has guarded the waters since 1797, warning ships away from The Gantocks, a dangerous reef in the firth. A navigation beacon was later added to the rocks in the 1880s. The site lies along the A770 road, three miles south-west of Gourock and directly opposite Dunoon on the far shore. The lighthouse was designed by Thomas Smith and his son-in-law Robert Stevenson, engineers who shaped many Scottish lights in the late 18th century. The lighthouse is notable for its short circular tower with a corbelled walkway and triangular windows. Two generations of keepers’ houses stand nearby, the older now used as stores and the newer with crow-stepped gables. Foghorns were installed between 1895 and 1897 to cut through thick coastal fog. The original oil lantern, lit in 1797 by engineer John Clarkson, was replaced in 1829 by an argand lamp and silvered reflector. Later changes included acetylene lighting around 1900 and a radio beacon by 1931. Visitors find the automated light still flashing from a pole outside the lantern room. The old tower and keepers’ houses remain, giving a sense of the keepers’ daily routines. The surrounding Clyde waters stretch eastward to Gourock and west to Dunoon, with The Gantocks reef visible at low tide. The site is quiet today, its maritime purpose unchanged since the 18th century.