Grace's Guide To British Industrial History

Registered UK Charity (No. 115342)

Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 164,322 pages of information and 246,083 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 147,919 pages of information and 233,587 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

David and Thomas Stevenson

From Graces Guide

D. and T. Stevenson, civil engineers, of Edinburgh


1832 Robert Stevenson took his son Alan into partnership in his pioneering business building lighthouses.

1838 A second son, David became a partner

1846 A third son, Thomas was taken into partnership by his brothers on the retirement of their father[1].

1853 David Stevenson succeeded his brother Alan, who had been paralysed, as engineer to the Northern Lighthouse Board

With his brother Thomas, they designed and executed 30 lighthouses, two of which - on Dhuheartach and the Chicken Rocks - are regarded as triumphs of engineering skill.

1857 As engineers to the Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses, the Stevensons issued a specification for the temporary light on the Muckle Fluga Rock at the north end of island of Unst[2]

1879 Chickens Rock Lighthouse

1878 David's son, David A. Stevenson, together with the firm's most able senior assistant for many years, Alan Brebner, were taken into the partnership

1884 Thomas Stevenson became the board's sole engineer on his brother David's retirement through ill health; when Thomas's health began to fail in 1885 the younger David was appointed to act jointly with him.

1886 Charles was taken into partnership

1887 David A. Stevenson was sole engineer from Thomas's death in 1887 until 1938.

1890 the firm became D. and C. Stevenson

1898 Had designed the lighting mechanism for the Prongs Lighthouse, Bombay[3]

By 1922 was no longer in business[4]


See Also

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Sources of Information

  1. ODNB Biography of Robert Stevenson
  2. The London Gazette 24 November 1857
  3. The Engineer 1898/06/03
  4. see bio of Alan Brebner b.1857
  • Biography of David Alan Stevenson, ODNB