Bell Rock Lighthouse in a storm
This book is found in The Stevenson Collection.
Bell Rock lies off the coast of Angus Scotland and once apon a time it claimed the lives of many men. Between 1807 and 1810 it became the scene of a feat of engineering which has since been described as on of the seven wonders of the industrial world. Standing 35m tall Bell Rock is the oldest sea washed lighthouse in the world.
W.H.Davenport Adams book features drawings and cross sections of the designs of Robert Stevenson and is held as part of the Stevenson Collection at the NLS.
A collection of 619 items in 80 volumes from the archive of the civil engineering firm of Robert Stevenson, his three sons Alan, David and Thomas, and later generations of the family. It comprises important works, mainly of the 19th century, on aspects of engineering, navigation, transport and lighthouses. Part of the collection was purchased in 1993 from Quentin Stevenson, a descendant of the family along with the firm’s archive. Map material from the Stevenson family is held in the Map Library.
The National Library of Scotland, Special Collections
The National Library of Scotland on George IV Bridge in Edinburgh contains a fascinating holding of books, manuscripts and archives. The Library’s Special Collections are particularly eclectic, ranging from witchcraft to the French Revolution, from beekeeping to Esperanto and from the Reformation to cookbooks. Rare books include Stirling’s ‘Annals of the Artists of Spain’ the first illustrated art history and Fox Talbot’s ‘Sun Pictures in Scotland’. With over one million books to consult all you need is a library card and time to delve history.
