Turnberry Lighthouse

Turnberry Lighthouse stands on Turnberry Point in South Ayrshire, a white-painted brick tower rising 29 metres above the coast. It was designed by the Stevenson engineers and completed in 1873 to replace a failed plan for a rock lighthouse at Bristo Rock. The lighthouse was built on the site of Turnberry Castle’s old moat, using a 76-step spiral staircase inside the tapering tower. A single white flash every fifteen seconds guides ships along this stretch of the Ayrshire Coastal Path. The light once reached twenty-eight nautical miles but now operates on solar power after automation in 1986. The lighthouse is still run by the Northern Lighthouse Board from Edinburgh offices, though its accommodation block was sold in 1992 to the golf course owners. In 2016 the Trump Organisation turned nearby buildings into holiday flats and a restaurant beside the ninth green. The iron lantern with triangular panes remains in place, and the tower’s small rectangular windows follow the staircase’s curve. The Northern Lighthouse Board kept control of the light itself when the site was leased. Visitors walk the Ayrshire Coastal Path to see the tower’s white walls and iron gallery against the sea. The restaurant and holiday flats sit close to the ninth green of the Trump Turnberry golf resort. The lighthouse’s automated light still flashes every fifteen seconds, guiding vessels along the coast. The iron lantern and glazing survive from the original 19th-century construction. The site links the history of Turnberry Castle to modern leisure use.