Lighthouses in Poetry, Literature and History Quiz

Answer: Robert Stevenson

He was christened Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson, but at the age of eighteen opted to be called Robert Louis with his friends calling him Louis. He wrote many poems and books, of which the best known is probably 'Treasure Island'.
His father Thomas Stevenson was a famous engineer in his day and invented the 'Stevenson Screen' used by meteorologists today.
Alan and David were brothers of Thomas and all three were the sons of Robert Stevenson senior, the grandfather of R L Stevenson and builder of many famous lighthouses.

Answer: Jean Guichard

A convenient act of timing made this wonderful photograph possible as this extract from the report by Timothy Harrison which appeared on May 18, 2001 in the Lighthouse Depot publication in Wells, Maine, shows:

"As Jean Guichard's helicopter approached the tower he was unaware that the keepers were waiting for a rescue helicopter. Guichard was simply there to take photographs of the waves pounding the structure. The keepers heard the sound of the helicopter and naturally assumed it was the rescue helicopter. One of the keepers opened the lower door of the structure and as he looked up at the helicopter and realized that it was not the rescue chopper, he also realized that a giant wave was about to engulf the tower. He immediately turned about and pulled the door closed behind him. Had he not done so at that second, he surely would have been killed. While all this was happening, Jean Guichard was busy taking photographs as fast as he could click the camera, thus capturing on film the most dramatic action shots ever taken at a lighthouse."

Answer: Virginia Woolf

Virginia Woolf was widely known by her contemoraries as a potent literary force. Since her death her reputation as one of the first great 'Modernists' in English Literature has increased.

Her style has been much studied by academics and others who regard her work as being one of the most important influences on writers of the twentieth century. She used her novels to engage with many of the political, philosophical, historical and materialist issues of her age.

She was a prime mover in the so-called 'Bloomsbury Set' which featured a number of contemporary politicians and literary people as well as artists and playwrights all of whom were eager to explore new boundaries within their chosen art form.

For further information see:
The Web Pages of the Virginia Woolf Society of Great Britain
http://orlando.jp.org/VWSGB/

Answer: R M Ballantyne

Robert Michael Ballantyne (1825-1894)was born in Edinburgh. He died in Rome after an extended period of residence on mainland Europe. In addition to writing 'The Lighthouse' he was famously associated with the adventure novel 'Coral Island'.
In case you are wondering, 'Ballantynes' is also a famous alcoholic drink as, too, are J(ohnny) Walker, F(amous) Grouse and I L(ove) Talisker!

Answer: Roger McGough

An award-winning poet, playwright, broadcaster and children's author Roger McGough was born on 9 November 1937 in Liverpool, England. He was a member of the pop music/poetry group 'The Scaffold' between 1963 and 1973. He made his name as one of the 'Liverpool Poets' with Adrian Henri, Carol Ann Duffy, Seamus Heaney and Brian Patten.

Answer: Alan Titchmarsh

Alan Titchmarsh was born on 2nd May 1949 in Ilkley, Yorkshire.
Alan is an organic gardener and lives with his wife Alison and his two daughters Polly and Camilla as well as their two yellow Labradors called Grace and Favour in his new home in Hampshire.

Answer: Ronda and David Armitage

Ronda Armitage writes the stories and her husband provides the illustrations. Their works are very popular in schools in Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

Answer: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) went to college at Bowdoin and became a professor of modern languages. He spent many years in Europe mastering many different languages. He was greatly respected by his contemporary poets and popular with the public. On his death a bust of Longfellow was placed in London's Westminster Abbey.

Answer: The Pharos at Alexandria

This is the dedicatory inscription of the Pharos Lighthouse:
"Sostratus, the son of Dexiphanes, the Cnidian, dedicated this to the Saviour Gods, on behalf of those who sail the seas."

Pharos has become another term for 'lighthouse' in the English language.

The Pharos project was begun by Ptolemy Soter around 290 BC, but was completed after his death by his son Ptolemy Philadelphus. Sostratus, a contemporary of Euclid, was the architect, but detailed calculations for the structure and its accessories were carried out at the Alexandria Library.

Answer: The Bell Rock

Robert Stevenson's book was called 'Account of the Bell Rock Lighthouse'. It was a detailed account of the human and engineering endeavours in building the Bell Rock Lighthouse.

He was the grandfather of the R L Stevenson discussed in Question 1.

The Stevenson family had an involvement with lighthouse engineering spanning two generations. When Robert died this eulogy was read into the official record of the Board of Northern Lighthouses, the following minute was recorded:

'The Board, before proceeding to business, desire to record their regret at the death of this zealous, faithful and able officer, to whom is due the honour of conceiving and executing the great work of the Bell Rock Lighthouse ...'

As the BBC web site reflected: 'The words were carefully chosen - not least because they were read out in front of Stevenson's three sons, now themselves lighthouse builders and part of the great Stevenson engineering dynasty.'