author
Alan Stevenson
1807–1865
Part of Scotland’s remarkable Stevenson engineering family, this 19th-century civil engineer helped shape some of the country’s most famous lighthouses, including the dramatic Skerryvore tower. He also wrote clearly and thoughtfully about lighthouse design, leaving a record as practical as the structures he built.
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About the author
Born in Edinburgh on April 28, 1807, he was the eldest surviving son of the lighthouse engineer Robert Stevenson and grew up in a family deeply tied to coastal engineering. He became a Scottish civil engineer and is best remembered for his work on lighthouses around Scotland.
He served as engineer to the Northern Lighthouse Board in the mid-19th century and was associated with the design and construction of major lights, most famously Skerryvore Lighthouse off the west coast of Scotland. His work helped continue the Stevenson family’s long influence on maritime safety, and he was also the uncle of the writer Robert Louis Stevenson.
Alongside his engineering career, he wrote on lighthouse construction and illumination, helping explain the technical side of the work for a wider audience. He died on December 23, 1865.