The small lighthouse at North Queensferry stands in the shadows of the gargantuan Forth Rail Bridge, one of Scotland's most instantly recognisable structures.

Built in 1817, it stands at the landward end of North Queensferry pier, from where the ferry used to cross the Firth of Forth to South Queensferry. Some sources state that the light was extinguished as early as 1890 due to the construction of the railway bridge, whilst others suggest it continued being used as a lighthouse until the cessation of the ferry service here, which occurred when the diesel-electric paddle steamer MV Queen Margaret made the last ferry crossing on September 4th 1964, owing to the opening of the new suspension bridge that day.

The short tower is hexagonal in shape and is built using local sandstone. Inside is a narrow spiral staircase that opens out into the tiny lantern room, housing a single oil lamp and brass parabolic reflector.

Between 2009 and 2010 a significant restoration was carried out on the lighthouse, with a comprehensive refurbishment of the lantern room and its copper dome roof, plus the installation of a highly accurate replica of the kind of parabolic reflector and oil lamp that would have been used inside the lighthouse when it was in regular operation.