Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 to 1894) was a celebrated Scottish writer. He travelled widely, meeting his wife, Fanny Osbourne, in France.  Despite struggling with poor health all his life, Stevenson’s imagination never faltered, giving us some of literature’s most enduring stories.

His best known works include:

• Treasure Island
• Kidnapped
• The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

A literary legend

In 1884, Stevenson moved to a house in Westbourne, Bournemouth, to recover from tuberculosis. He renamed the house ‘Skerryvore’ after a lighthouse built by his uncle, Alan Stevenson.

While he was living in Westbourne, he wrote the chilling gothic novel, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, published in 1886, featuring the character Mr Poole named after the neighbouring town.

After years of ill health, he left Bournemouth in 1887, journeying to Western Samoa, where he died in 1894, having become known as ‘Tusitala’ (The Storyteller). His most loved works have been much adapted.

Get creative: writing prompts

Stevenson’s spirit of adventure and storytelling is alive in Bournemouth, what stories will his life inspire in you?

The House of memory

Imagine Stevenson’s time at Skerryvore. He was very ill with tuberculosis and was largely housebound ‘like a weevil in a biscuit’, and yet his imagination roamed far.

From here he moved to Samoa in the South Pacific, where he died. Start by just describing the place as vividly as possible. Really try to capture not just its physicality, but the layers of narrative, of history, accumulated about the place, the ghosts in the stones. Could you imagine a story dramatizing Stevenson’s time here?

The Lighthouse

Create a story set in a remote lighthouse, like Skerryvore’s namesake. Who works there? What if a visitor arrives unexpectedly? What mysteries or dangers might arise? Could there be shipwrecks, pirates, or hidden treasure?

Travels with my pet

Inspired by Stevenson’s journey through Spain with a donkey, imagine your own adventure with a favourite pet or other animal. Do you get on? What problems does it cause? Could they lead you to unexpected discoveries?

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