1807-1811 Robert Stevenson completes the construction of the Bell Rock lighthouse off Arbroath

Robert Stevenson was Thomas Smith's stepson and he soon became the next engineer to the Northern Lighthouse Board. Although he lived under the shadow of the English engineer Smeaton he became one of the greatest Scottish engineers of his age. Stevenson was responsible for the design and implementation of the Bell Rock Lighthouse off Arbroath. In 1807 the Lighthouse construction was begun and was to take four years. The attempt to erect a lighthouse on a reef 12 miles off the coast was one of the heroic engineering feats of the day. The light construction was several times delayed due to bad weather and the fact that workmen could only work on it when the tide was low. It was built of specially constructed stone blocks that were made so that they interlocked together without the need for mortar. The light was finished in 1811 and still stands as a beacon to mariners.