Smeaton's Lighthouse
50°21′52.09″N 4°8′31.67″W / 50.3644694°N 4.1421306°W / 50.3644694; -4.1421306
The third lighthouse marked a major step forward in the design of such structures.
Recommended by the Royal Society, civil engineer John Smeaton modelled the shape on an oak tree, built of granite blocks. He pioneered 'hydraulic lime', a concrete that will set under water, and developed a technique of securing the granite blocks using dovetail joints and marble dowels. Construction started in 1756 at Millbay and the light was first lit on 16 October 1759.
Smeaton's lighthouse was 59 feet (18 m) high and had a diameter at the base of 26 feet (8 m) and at the top of 17 feet (5 m). It remained in use until 1877 when erosion to the rocks under the lighthouse caused it to shake from side to side whenever large waves hit. Smeaton's lighthouse was rebuilt on Plymouth Hoe, in Plymouth, as a memorial. William Tregarthen Douglass supervised the dismantling and removal of Smeaton's Tower.
The re-erected tower on the Hoe is now a tourist attraction.
The foundations and stub of the tower remain, close to the new and more solid foundations of the current lighthouse - the foundations proved too strong to be dismantled so the Victorians left them where they stood.
Read more about this topic: Eddystone Lighthouse
Famous quotes containing the word lighthouse:
“This lighthouse was the cynosure of all eyes.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)