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Alan Stevenson
View on Wikipediafrom Wikipedia
Key Information
Alan Stevenson FRSE MInstCE (28 April 1807 – 23 December 1865) was a Scottish civil engineer, known for designing and building lighthouses in and around Scotland.[1]
Life
[edit]Alan Stevenson was born in Edinburgh on 28 April 1807, the eldest son of Jean Smith and her husband (and step-brother) Robert Stevenson.[2] With his father, and brothers David and Thomas, he was part of the notable family of Engineers and lighthouse builders. The writer Robert Louis Stevenson was his nephew.
He was educated at the High School in Edinburgh. In 1821, he attended the University of Edinburgh to study Latin, Greek and mathematics with a view to becoming a member of the clergy. However, 2 years later in 1823, he decided to pursue a career in engineering and began a four-year apprenticeship at his father's business.
Between 1843 and 1853 he built 13 lighthouses in and around Scotland. Among his notable works is the Skerryvore Lighthouse.[3]
He was Engineer in Chief to the Northern Lighthouse Board from 1843 to 1853.[4]
In 1838 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh his proposer being James David Forbes. In 1840 the University of Glasgow conferred on him an honorary LLB degree.
He died at 13 Pitt Street[5] (later renamed Pittville St)[6] in Portobello on 23 December 1865.
He is buried in the Stevenson family vault in New Calton Cemetery with his wife, Margaret Scott Jones. The vault lies midway along the eastern wall.
Publications
[edit]- Biographical Sketches of the Late Robert Stevenson (1861)[2]
Family
[edit]On 11 September 1844, he married Margaret Scott Jones (1813–1895), daughter of Jean (née Scott) and Humphrey Herbert Jones of Anglesey.[1] They had three daughters, Jean, Dorothea and the author and journalist Katherine Elizabeth de Mattos Stevenson (1851–1939), and one son, art critic Robert Alan Mowbray Stevenson (1827–1880).[1][7]
He was uncle to Robert Louis Stevenson, Charles Alexander Stevenson and David Alan Stevenson.[citation needed]
Lighthouses by Alan Stevenson
[edit]- Little Ross (1843)
- Isle of May Low Light (1843)
- Skerryvore (1844)
- Covesea Skerries (1846)
- Chanonry Point (1846)
- Cromarty (1846)
- Cairn Point, Loch Ryan (1847)
- Noss Head (1849)
- Ardnamurchan (1849)
- Sanda (1850)
- Hestan Island (1850)
- Hoy High and Hoy Low, Graemsay (1851)
- Arnish Point (1853)
- Eilean Musdile (Lismore)
Arms
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Publications
[edit]- Biographical Sketch of the Late Robert Stevenson: Civil Engineer, read at the Royal Society of Edinburgh, at the meeting of 17 February 1851. From Google Book Search
- A Rudimentary Treatise on the History, Construction and Illumination of Lighthouses, 1850, from Google Book Search
Family Tree
[edit]Alan's position in the Stevenson family tree.
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References
[edit]- ^ a b c Matthew, H. C. G.; Harrison, B., eds. (23 September 2004). "The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/26427. (Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ a b "Lighthouses | Robert Louis Stevenson".
- ^ Waterston, Charles D; Macmillan Shearer, A (July 2006). Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783-2002: Biographical Index (PDF). Vol. II. Edinburg: The Royal Society of Edinburgh. ISBN 978-0-902198-84-5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 October 2006.
- ^ Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002 (PDF). The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006. ISBN 0-902-198-84-X. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016.
- ^ Portobello Post Office Directory 1865
- ^ NLS 1893 map of Portobello
- ^ Inscription on grave of Alan Stevenson, New Calton Cemetery
- ^ "Grant of Arms: Alan Stevenson 1865". Stephen J. Plowman. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
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Alan Stevenson
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Early life
Birth and background
Alan Stevenson was born on 28 April 1807 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was the eldest son of Robert Stevenson, the renowned civil engineer and lighthouse builder.[1]Education and early career
Stevenson attended the High School of Edinburgh and the University of Edinburgh, where he graduated with an M.A. degree on 30 March 1826. He received the Fellowes prize as an advanced student in natural philosophy. Initially intending to enter the church, he studied under a clergyman at Twickenham, but later abandoned this path to pursue engineering. He became a pupil in his father's engineering office, gaining practical experience in marine works and lighthouse projects, and eventually entered into partnership with his father.[1]Career
Alan Stevenson trained as a civil engineer under his father, Robert Stevenson, beginning a four-year apprenticeship in 1823 after initially studying classics and mathematics at the University of Edinburgh with intentions toward the clergy. He joined his father's firm, gaining experience in marine works including piers, harbors, and lighthouses for the Northern Lighthouse Board.[1] In 1843, he succeeded his father as Engineer to the Northern Lighthouse Board, serving until 1853. During this period, he designed and oversaw the construction of thirteen lighthouses in and around Scotland.[2] His most celebrated achievement was the Skerryvore Lighthouse (completed 1844), located on a remote Atlantic rock 14 miles from land. The 138-foot granite tower, built under harsh conditions with Stevenson personally supervising over three summer seasons, is regarded as one of the finest rock lighthouses for its mass, elegance, and innovative dioptric apparatus incorporating Fresnel lens advancements.[1][2] Other lighthouses he designed include:- Little Ross (1843)
- Isle of May Low Light (1843)
- Covesea Skerries (1846)
- Chanonry Point (1846)
- Cromarty (1846)
- Cairn Point, Loch Ryan (1847)
- Noss Head (1849)
- Ardnamurchan (1849)
- Sanda (1850)
- Hestan Island (1850)
- Hoy High and Hoy Low, Graemsay (1851)
- Arnish Point (1853)