Smeaton's Tower, Plymouth (must see)

John Smeaton was an 18th-century mechanical engineer and physicist called the "father" of civil engineering. Smeaton is noted for reviving the ancient Roman art of pouring concrete underwater using hydraulic lime. He designed the lighthouse on the Eddystone Rocks considered his main achievement.

Thirteen miles southwest of Plymouth are the dangerous Eddystone Rocks, notorious for rough weather, stormy sea, and deathly obstacles. Winstanley's Tower of 1698 was the first Eddystone Light. It was designed and built by Henry Winstanley, known for his Waterworks of Hyde Park in London. Made of steel, Winstanley's Tower was replaced by Rudyerd's Tower in 1709.

John Rudyerd was a merchant of Ludgate with a hobby in engineering. His octagonal wooden tower lasted until 1755. It caught fire on a stormy night in December and burned for eight hours. The keeper, 94-year-old Henry Hall, later died. Steel was corruptible, and wood was combustible. Smeaton had new ideas, and he used stone.

Smeaton created his tower based on the shape of an oak tree. He utilized granite for the foundation and facings. The blocks were secured with dovetail joints and marble dowels. The technique used by Smeaton allowed concrete to be set underwater. The lighthouse remained in use until 1877 when the rocks became eroded. Each time a large wave hit, the lighthouse shook from side to side. Smeaton's lighthouse was replaced by Douglass's Tower in 1882.

The 72-foot-high upper part of Smeaton's Tower was disassembled and rebuilt as a memorial to Smeaton on a new base on Plymouth Hoe, overlooking the harbor and the rocks beyond Drake's Island. The Eddystone Light of today is operated automatically. It is controlled by the Trinity House Planning Center in Harwich, Essex.