Who Built the Bell Rock Lighthouse?
The temporary Beacon House, in a severe storm Stevenson drew the inspiration for his lighthouse design from the Eddystone Lighthouse, off the coast of Cornwall. Built 50 years earlier by John Smeaton, this was a milestone in lighthouse design. Shaped with the now classic wide base, tapering to a narrow tower (Smeaton had modelled it on an oak tree he had witnessed defying a storm), it was the only off-shore structure that had until then managed to survive for any length of time against the constant battering of the seas. Stevenson elaborated on this design. His lighthouse would have to be higher, over 30m (100ft), if it was to survive the cruel waves of the North Sea. He also incorporated more efficient reflectors, using the latest oil lighting technology, which would make his beacon the brightest yet seen. ‘The rock had to claim another victim before the Board revisited Stevenson’s plans …’ But the Northern Lighthouse Board rejected the plan outright; in their eyes Stevenson was att
