In 1891 a small directional lighthouse was approved for the busy Oban Bay. It acts as a minor light to guide ships coming from the Firth of Lorn.
It was built by the Stevenson brothers. The Stevensons were an engineering family. Robert Stevenson built or rebuilt 15 lighthouses. He had three sons that survived to adulthood; Alan, David, and Thomas. All three followed in their father’s footsteps building lighthouses. Thomas Stevenson was the father of the author, Robert Louis Stephenson.
Thomas and his brother David build over 25 lighthouses around the Scottish coast.
The Dunollie Lighthouse was built by David and his son Charles few years after Thomas passed away. This lighthouse was built out of dark stone deliberately to blend with the coastal landscape.
Dunollie Lighthouse
The lighthouse still stands today. The tower is roughly 7 meters above sea level. Instead of an internal stairway like larger lighthouses, keepers and technicians gain access from an external metal ladder.
Dunollie Lighthouse at the Main Shipping Channel to Oban Bay
The lighthouse sits about 400 meters from the Dunollie Castle.