ROBERT Louis may be the most famous member of the Stevenson family, but the Treasure Island author’s grandfather was also a renowned and celebrated figure in the earlier part of the 19th century.
A hotel just opened in Edinburgh is paying tribute to the elder Robert Stevenson, who was one of Scotland’s greatest civil engineers and generally reckoned to be the world's greatest lighthouse builder.
The Courtyard Edinburgh, part of Marriott International, is located at the top of Leith Walk within the capital’s New Town conservation area, and occupies three category-A listed Georgian townhouses which have been converted by the award-winning Chris Stewart Group at a reported cost of £30 million.
The properties in Baxter’s Place were once home to the Stevenson family, and references to its heritage, carefully presented with the help of the Stevenson family and the Northern Lighthouse Board, appear in the public areas and in every room through images, technical drawings and maps.
In all, the new hotel has 240 bedrooms, and the Lantern Room all-day bar and restaurant with private dining area will serve local fare with a modern twist, according to Marriott.
To mark the hotel opening for business, a new bust of Robert Stevenson has been unveiled. He died in 1850 and was buried in New Calton Cemetery, not far from the famous Regent Bridge that he built.
Stevenson was lauded by his fellow countrymen for his many engineering feats such as the construction of the Bell Rock Lighthouse.
He was also the first engineer to prove that the eastern coastline of Great Britain was being eroded by the North Sea, which until then had been thought to be relatively benign.
The bust was unveiled by James Will, Robert Stevenson’s great-great-great grandson, who told the BBC: “Robert and Jean Stevenson brought up five children in this house. Three of those children – Alan, David and Thomas – went on to become famous lighthouse engineers themselves.
“They were a quite remarkable family and it is very fitting that the new hotel commemorates their contribution to Scottish history and the building’s origins as a family home."
Mike Bullock of the Northern Lighthouse Board said: “It has been a very exciting prospect for the Board to have one the most important buildings in its history brought back to life and I am very grateful to the Chris Stewart Group for allowing the new hotel to tell the story of the Stevenson family and their amazing contribution to the safety of mariners in Scottish and Isle of Man waters.”
Douglas Winfield, the general manager of Courtyard Edinburgh, said: “The redevelopment of the three Georgian townhouses that form the front of the hotel has been enormously respectful of the building’s past and we’ve worked very closely with the Northern Lighthouse Board and local historians to ensure we capture the pioneering spirit that Robert Stevenson represents.
"The centrepiece is the new bust of Robert Stevenson and we were delighted that his direct descendants were here as it went on show for the first time.
“It has been made locally by sculptor Clare Flatley and is a copy of one that belongs to the family today, so it's a real talking point for guests as they arrive at the hotel."
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