Robert Louis Stevenson, writer, traveller and creator of some of literature’s most enduring tales, was a crashing disappointment to his family. Producing global bestsellers like Treasure Island, Kidnapped and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was all very well, but what had he contributed to the family business, his relations demanded to know? How many lighthouses had he built? Today most people regard lighthouses as quaint structures that decorate our coastlines or provide an attractive backdrop for a day at the beach. In reality, their introduction, principally in the 19th and early 20th century, was responsible for saving tens of thousands of lives. Even during the wars of the 18t
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