David Stevenson

1815 - 1886

Engineer son of Robert Stevenson (1772 - 1850), and uncle of author Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94). Stevenson was educated at the High School in Edinburgh and went on to construct some thirty lighthouses during his tenure as Engineer to the Northern Lighthouse Board, a post in which he succeeded his brother Alan in 1853.

With his brother Thomas (1818-87), he was involved in building lighthouses at: Whalsay Skerries (1854), Out Skerries (1854), Muckle Flugga (1854), Davaar (1854), Usinish (1857), South Roma (1857), Kyleakin (1857), Ornsay (1857), Sound of Mull (1857), Cantick Head (1858), Bressay (1858), Ruvaal (1859), Corran Point (1860), Fladda (1860), McArthur's Head (1861), St Abb's Head (1862), Butt of Lewis (1862), Holborn Head (1862), Monach (1864), Skervuile (1865), Auskerry (1866), Lochindaal (1869), Scurdie Ness (1870), Ru Stoer (Stour Head) (1870), Dubh Artach (1872), Turnberry (1873), Chicken Rock (1875) and Holy Island (1877 and 1880).

David Stevenson was also responsible for designing lighthouses in Japan, where he introduced a method to protect them from earthquakes.

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©2013 The Editors of The Gazetteer for Scotland
Supported by: The Robertson Trust,  The Royal Scottish Geographical Society,
  School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh.