William Douglass

Who was William Douglass?

William Tregarthen Douglass was the Chief Engineer for the Commissioners of Irish Lights in the late-nineteenth- and early twentieth-century. He is responsible for a number of their designs of lighthouses and associated structures. He was a consulting engineer for lighthouse construction for several governments around the world. His father was Sir James Nicholas Douglass, and his uncle William and his grandfather Nicholas were also famous in lighthouse construction. William T. Douglass was Assistant Engineer to Thomas Edmond in the construction of the fourth Eddystone Lighthouse and then superintendent of work after Edmond was called to other work. William T. Douglass supervised the whole work of fitting up the internal arrangements of the new Eddystone LIghthouse, as well as dismantling and removing the upper portion of Smeaton's Tower, leaving the foundation intact. One of William Douglass's most impressive achievements was his supervision of the renovation and reinforcement of the Bishop Rock Lighthouse. He designed the second Fastnet Rock Lighthouse.