Scott, Charles William | Scott C.W. | Shaw, John | Shaw, John (jnr) | Sloane, John S. | Smeaton, John | Smith, George |
Smith, Lieutenant Henry | Smith, Thomas | Steuart, George | Stevenson, Alan | Stevenson, David |
Stevenson, David Alan (snr) | Stevenson, David Alan (jnr) | Stevenson, Robert | Stevenson, Thomas | Suter, Richard |
Scott, Charles William  (1831-63)

Construction engineer who was involved with Alexander Gordon and William Parkes and their overseas lighthouse projects.
Started his profession in Sunderland but died at the age of 32 after contracting dysentery while working on projects around the Red Sea



Scott C.W.  (Life span unknown)

Engineer-in-Chief for the Commissioners of Irish Lights between 1900-30. He supervised the completion of the second Fastnet lighthouse designed by William Douglass. He also put together a special edition book about the Fasnet lighthouse. (History of the Fasnet Rock Lighthouses by C.S. Scott. Published by Schull Books, County Cork, Ireland. 1993) This is the second printing of this book.


Shaw, John (1776-1832)

He was appointed as the Architect for the Ramsgate Harbour Trustees. He is accredited with the designs of a lighthouse at Spurn Point in 1816 , which replaced the John Smeaton tower which was washed away by the sea. However this lighthouse only lasted until 1831 before Trinity House abandoned it due to further land losses to the sea.

Shaw, John  (1803-70)

He was the son of John Shaw (1776-1832), who succeeded his father to the post of Architect for the Ramsgate Harbour Trustees. His accredited lighthouse is the second pier structure established in 1842.


Sloane, John S. (Life span unknown)

He was the Engineer-in-Chief for the Commissioners of Irish Lights between 1868-1877. Up to this time he had already served as the Assistant Engineer for 12 years.
His contribution to lighthouses was the modernisation of the numerous dwellings. In 1873 he was responsible for writing 'A Manual for Light-Keepers'.


Smeaton, John (1742-92)

Known as the 'Father of Civil Engineering'. Became one of the most distinguished British engineers with his best known contribution being the construction of the third Eddystone lighthouse between 1756-9. (See Eddystone Lighthouse)
His activities were far reaching and covered projects including water mills, bridges, habours and land drainage schemes.
John Smeaton is only accredited with two lighthouses the second at Spurn Point.
His original Eddystone tower was dismantled and rebuilt on Plymouth Hoe in Devon, as a tribute to this exceptional engineer.



Smith, George  (Life span unknown)

He was an Irish engineer who was mostly involved with Alexander Mitchell and his pile lighthouses. In this position he was responsible for supervising the establishment of five structures, the earliest recorded one was Holywood Bank in 1843.



Smith, Lieutenant Henry  (Life span unknown)

This very colourful former Naval Officer came up with various schemes especially with regards to the Longships and Wolf Rock. He made numerous proposals to Trinity House to establish lighthouses near Land's End in Cornwall during the 1790's.
He first obtained a lease from the Corporation to erect a beacon on the Wolf Rock, but the end of 1791 and three attempts later, this project was abandoned.
In 1795 he secured a lease from Trinity House to erect a lighthouse on the Longships Reef, with the tower being designed by Samuel Wyatt.
However the expected profits from shipping which was suppose to contribute towards the upkeep of the light did not materialise. Within four years he was bankrupt and sent to the notorious Fleet Prison in London until his debts were cleared. The life span for anyone in this prison was about six months because of the atrocious conditions.
Yet Trinity House bought back the lease for the Longships for quite a considerable sum, especially after the Corporation realised that vast profits were now within easy reach. But there is no record that shows whether the luckless Lieutenant Henry Smith was ever released alive from Fleet Prison.



Smith, Thomas  (Life span unknown)

Scottish Engineer who became the first Chief for the Commissioners of the Northern Lights in 1787.
Originally he was a white-iron smith who made lamps and reflectors for lighthouses.. For this reason he was appointed Chief Engineer for the Northern Lighthouse Board a positon he held until 1804.
Step father to Robert Stevenson who succeed him as Chief Engineer.
Of the original lighthouse which he was involved in the designs were Kinnaird Head (1787), Mull of Kintyre (1788), Eilean Glas (1789, Pladda (1790), and the Pentland Skerries (1794).
Learnt most of his engineering skills with Englishman Ezekiel Walker, although much of this was to do with illumination.
An architect Robert Kay is known to have been involved at some stage with the designs of the lighthouses along with Thomas Smith.
Thomas Smith was also employed by the Cumbrae Lighthouse Trustees and is accredited to have designed and built the Little Cumbrae lighthouse in 1793. His lantern was also installed in the Cloch lighthouse in 1797.



Steuart, George  (??-1806)

Architect on the Isle of Man. Came from Atholl. His connections with the Duke of Atholl provided him with the opportunity to build his first lighthouse. This was the strange looking Red Pier light at Douglas. It was completed in 1801 but demolished in 1936.



Stevenson, Alan  (1807-65)

He was the eldest son of Robert Stevenson. Was appointed Chief Engineer for the Commissioners of the Northern Lights in 1843.
He is accredited with the designing and building of 12 important Scottish lighthouses. The most famous being the Skerryvore in 1844.
A book was written by Alan Stevenson about the Skerryvore lighthouse and the subject of illumination. In this latter field he was considered to be an expert.
He made numerous improvements in the dioptric system, with one of the first modifications installed in the Start Point lighthouse on the Devonshire Coast of England, for Trinity House.



Stevenson, David (1815-86)

The second son of Robert Stevenson who became joint Engineer-in-Chief for the Commissioners of the Northern Lights, along with his younger brother Thomas.
Between these two exceptional engineers they are accredited with the designs and construction of  29 Scottish lighthouses. The most well known of these is Chicken Rock (Isle of Man), Dhuheartach, Muckle Flugga and North Unst.    



Stevenson, David Alan (snr) (1854-1938)

Appointed Engineer-in-Chief for the Commissioners of the Northern Lights in 1887.
He is accredited with the designs and building of 22 lighthouses, with many of these established on islands. The massive fortress style tower at Rattray Head was specially constructed to accommodate the mammoth engines and compressors for a very powerful fog siren.



Stevenson, David Alan (jnr)  (1891-1972)

Nephew of David Alan Stevenson (snr) who was the last member of this family to be appointed as the Engineer-in-Chief for the Commissioners of the Northern Lights.
Most of his contribution involved the restoration work required after World War Two.
His other quality was writing of which he wrote Lighthouses of India and Burma, (Delhi 1927), The World's Lighthouses before 1820 and the edited version of Robert Stevenson's English Lighthouse Tours. (Reference source British Library)



Stevenson, Robert  (1772-1850)

First of the Stevenson family of Enginners associated with the Commissioners of the Northern Lighthouse Board. He started a lighthouse family dynasty of nearly two hundred years.
Born in Glasgow the son of Alan Stevenson who died in the West Indies at an early age.
His step father and father-in-law was Thomas Smith who was appointed as the first Engineer-in-Chief for the Northern Lighthouse Board in 1787.
His early responsibilities were supervising the construction of the Little Cumbrae lighthouse and later the Pentland Skerries in 1794.
From 1794 until 1842 he was the Engineer-in-Chief and is accredited with 15 major lighthouses. However one of these being the Bell Rock has been a questionable credit as to whether or not he designed this tower. John Rennie claimed that he was solely responsible for this design.
One of the most attractive lighthouses designed by Robert Stevenson is the Girdleness in Scotland.




Stevenson, Thomas  (1818-87)

Joint Engineer-in-Chief for the Commissioners of the Northern Lights with his elder brother David.
He was an expert in the field of catoptric and dioptric systems of lighthouse illumination. In 1857 he was commissioned by the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Privy Council for Trade, to draw up a report on the loss of light caused by the absorption of all media employed in lighthouse apparatus.
His papers finally stated that there could be a saving of 25% of the whole light by the employment of suitable glass optics. (Reference source Lighthouse Illumination by Thomas Stevenson F.R.S.E. Published by John Weale, 59 High Holborn, London 1857)
He was the father of Robert Louis Stevenson , who also worked as an engineer along with his father, until he became the well known author of Robinson Crusoe.


Suter, Richard  (Life span unknown)

He was a pupil of architect and engineer Daniel Alexander and is recorded as being the designer of the Lowestoft low light and the structure at Pakefield in 1832.