Smeaton's Tower is a memorial to civil engineer

John Smeaton John Smeaton (8 June 1724 – 28 October 1792) was a British civil engineer responsible for the design of bridges, canals, harbours and lighthouses. He was also a capable mechanical engineer and an eminent physicist. Smeaton was the fi ...

, designer of the third and most notable

Eddystone Lighthouse The Eddystone Lighthouse is a lighthouse that is located on the dangerous Eddystone Rocks, south of Rame Head in Cornwall, England. The rocks are submerged below the surface of the sea and are composed of Precambrian gneiss. View at 1:50000 ...

. A major step forward in lighthouse design, Smeaton's structure was in use from 1759 to 1877, until erosion of the ledge it was built upon forced new construction. The tower was largely dismantled and rebuilt on

Plymouth Hoe Plymouth Hoe, referred to locally as the Hoe, is a large south-facing open public space in the English coastal city of Plymouth. The Hoe is adjacent to and above the low limestone cliffs that form the seafront and it commands views of Plymouth ...

in Plymouth, Devon, where it stands today.

History

Background

England’s coasts are notorious for rough weather, dangerous seas and deathly obstacles. The Eddystone rocks are among them. There were several attempts were made to place a marker on these reefs. The first attempt was called the Winstanley Lighthouse. After it was destroyed in the 1703 storm, a second one called the Rudyard lighthouse was built. This one was also destroyed, this time by a fire in 1755. Born in Austhorpe,

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in 1724, John Smeaton is considered the father of

civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewa ...

. Recognized for his scientific achievements, including the increased efficiency of water wheels. After the Rudyard lighthouse was destroyed, there was intense pressure to build a third lighthouse quickly. Smeaton was recommended by the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

to design a lighthouse on the Eddystone Rocks in what is considered his greatest achievement.

Construction

Smeaton had to build his lighthouse to be strong enough to survive the elements (the first lighthouse was destroyed in a storm). He began by designing his lighthouse to resemble an oak tree. This in itself made the tower into a strong shape. He rediscovered the use of hydraulic lime, a form of concrete used in Roman times. The technique allowed concrete to set under water, as Smeaton put granite blocks together using dovetail joints and marble dowels. Construction started in 1756 at a site in

Millbay Millbay, also known as Millbay Docks, is an area of dockland in Plymouth, Devon, England. It lies south of Union Street, between West Hoe in the east and Stonehouse in the west. The area is currently subject to a public-private regeneration c ...

, where Smeaton built a jetty and a workyard in the south-western corner of the harbour to unload and work on stones. Timber rails of gauge were laid for four-wheeled flat trucks, which were used to move masonry around the site. A 10-ton ship named ''Eddystone Boat'' was based here, and transported worked stones out to the reef. The ship carried the 2¼-ton foundation stone out in the morning of 12 June 1756. Smeaton's Lighthouse00

The work was completed in August 1759 at a cost of £40,000 (£ with inflation).Majdalany, Fred: ''The Eddystone Light''. 1960 Many Cornish tin miners were employed in its construction. To avoid the possibility of press ganging, a practice which was common at the time,

Trinity House "Three In One" , formation = , founding_location = Deptford, London, England , status = Royal Charter corporation and registered charity , purpose = Maintenance of lighthouses, buoys and beacons , he ...

arranged with the Admiralty that the workers would be immune from the press. Each worker was issued a medal to confirm he was a worker at the lighthouse. The lighthouse was in height, and had a diameter at the base of and at the top of .

As lighthouse

After the structure was completed, the lighthouse's 24 candles were lit on 16 October 1759. Each candle weighed between . A timepiece placed alongside the light was set to chime every half-hour (30 min), alerting the lighthouse keeper to the need to replace expired candles. The lighthouse candles were replaced by oil lamps and reflectors from 1810. Further major renovations were carried out in 1841 by engineer Henry Norris, including the filling of a hole in the rock close to the tower's foundation. Four years later the oil lamps and reflectors were replaced with and improved lamp and

Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens developed by the French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788–1827) for use in lighthouses. It has been called "the invention that saved a million ships." The design allows the c ...

assembly. The lighthouse remained in use until 1877, when it was discovered that rocks upon which it stood were becoming eroded. Each time a large wave hit, the lighthouse shook from side to side.

As memorial

Smeaton's Tower ceased operation in February 1882 following the installation of a temporary light atop its successor ( Douglass's Tower), then under construction on an adjacent rock. In 1882, the upper part of Smeaton's Tower was dismantled and rebuilt as a memorial to Smeaton on a new base on

, replacing the triangular obelisk that had been built there by

as a navigation aid in the early 19th century. The site was opened to the public by the Mayor of Plymouth on 24 September 1884. The foundation and stub of the old tower remain on Eddystone Rocks, close to the current lighthouse. Since the foundation proved too strong to be dismantled, it was left where it stood. In 1860, a new penny coin was brought into circulation on which the lighthouse was depicted in the background behind

Britannia Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great ...

, remaining on the penny until 1894. The lighthouse was also depicted on a number of tokens issued during the 19th century in Devon with face values from two pence to one shilling. An 1850 replica of Smeaton's lighthouse, Hoad Monument, still stands above the town of

Ulverston Ulverston is a market town and a civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. In the United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 census the parish had a population of 11,524, increasing at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census to ...

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. C ...

as a memorial to naval administrator Sir John Barrow. On April 19, 1913, a home-made bomb with the words 'votes for women' and 'death in ten minutes' painted on the outside was found in the entrance to Smeaton's Tower, presumably as part of the campaign for women's suffrage. The wick had been lit but blew out in the wind, preventing detonation. Smeaton's Tower has been a Grade I-listed building since 1954. It is open for visitors, who may climb 93 steps, including steep ladders, to the lantern room, and observe

Plymouth Sound Plymouth Sound, or locally just The Sound, is a deep inlet or sound in the English Channel near Plymouth in England. Description Its southwest and southeast corners are Penlee Point in Cornwall and Wembury Point in Devon, a distance of abou ...

and the city. On 15 October 2009, as part of a celebration organised by the

Institution of Civil Engineers The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters are located in the UK, whi ...

, the lantern of Smeaton's Tower was once again lit with 24 candles to mark the 250th anniversary of the lighthouse's first illumination.

Gallery

File:Smeaton's Tower, The Hoe, Plymouth (3977156995).jpg, Smeaton's Tower on Plymouth Hoe File:Smeaton's Tower (26638753299).jpg, Close-up of the tower. File:Smeatons Tower Light - geograph.org.uk - 67009.jpg, Sunlight through the lantern room File:Smeatons Tower 250 Year Anniversary (4023953306).jpg, The tower lit by candles in 2009 to mark its 250th anniversary. File:Plymouth - Tinside Pool, Plymouth Sound and Smeaton's Tower. - geograph.org.uk - 1180751.jpg, Tinside Pool, Plymouth Sound File:Phare-d-Eddystone-Rocks.jpg, The original base of Smeaton's Tower still in position next to the current Eddystone Lighthouse.

References

External links

* {{Lighthouse identifiers Lighthouses completed in 1759 Towers completed in 1759 Museums in Plymouth, Devon Lighthouses in Devon Grade I listed buildings in Devon Grade I listed lighthouses Tourist attractions in Plymouth, Devon Lighthouse museums in England Buildings and structures in Plymouth, Devon Observation towers in the United Kingdom Industrial archaeological sites in Devon