Smeaton's Tower: Plymouth’s MOST Iconic Building
Imagine building Smeaton's Tower in Plymouth today. Building a house with only limited access to the mainland would present builders with more than a few headaches even today, but how about building a 7 storey house 14 miles out at sea on a rock 300 years ago? A house that would be responsible for saving thousands of lives.
Smeaton's Tower (formerly known as the Eddystone lighthouse) was the world's first offshore lighthouse. 14 miles out at sea, it's normally seen as a small grey line on the horizon, and it's all very well from our 21st century perspective as we now know you can build lighthouses on rocks in the middle of the sea, but put yourself in the shows of people 300 years ago when that idea was as outlandish as building a home on the moon.
When this Smeaton's Tower was opened in 1882, it was hailed as a medical as a miracle of engineering. For centuries these treacherous rocks in the English channel have sunk countless ships bound for Plymouth. With the great increase in maritime trade in the late 17th century a way had to be found to protect ships from these foreboding rocks.
The strong southeasterly winds make approaching the lighthouse dangerous even using modern day boats, so imagine having the nerve and courage to build a lighthouse out here 300 years ago using only flimsy wooden rowing boats to transport the tons of material and teams of builders.
The man who did have the nerve to try it was one Henry Winstanley. He started building in 1696 and by 1699, he had completed his masterpiece. They built a stone foundation, but it was mostly a wooden structure. Imagine a wooden tower out here in the middle of the sea being constantly bashed by gales and waves.
In 1699, after three years of struggle and one failure, Winstanley was finally happy with his Smeaton's Tower design. It was an amazing spectacle. The 120 foot structure was finished with ornate engravings and extravagant wrought iron details. Many people questioned the lighthouses sturdiness and wondered if it would be able to stand up to the unrelenting gales and ferocious seas, but Winstanley's confidence in his tower was unshakable. He boasted 'I only wish that I may be in the lighthouse in circumstances that will test its strength to their utmost.'
Smeaton's Tower (formerly known as the Eddystone lighthouse) was the world's first offshore lighthouse. 14 miles out at sea, it's normally seen as a small grey line on the horizon, and it's all very well from our 21st century perspective as we now know you can build lighthouses on rocks in the middle of the sea, but put yourself in the shows of people 300 years ago when that idea was as outlandish as building a home on the moon.
When this Smeaton's Tower was opened in 1882, it was hailed as a medical as a miracle of engineering. For centuries these treacherous rocks in the English channel have sunk countless ships bound for Plymouth. With the great increase in maritime trade in the late 17th century a way had to be found to protect ships from these foreboding rocks.
The strong southeasterly winds make approaching the lighthouse dangerous even using modern day boats, so imagine having the nerve and courage to build a lighthouse out here 300 years ago using only flimsy wooden rowing boats to transport the tons of material and teams of builders.
The man who did have the nerve to try it was one Henry Winstanley. He started building in 1696 and by 1699, he had completed his masterpiece. They built a stone foundation, but it was mostly a wooden structure. Imagine a wooden tower out here in the middle of the sea being constantly bashed by gales and waves.
In 1699, after three years of struggle and one failure, Winstanley was finally happy with his Smeaton's Tower design. It was an amazing spectacle. The 120 foot structure was finished with ornate engravings and extravagant wrought iron details. Many people questioned the lighthouses sturdiness and wondered if it would be able to stand up to the unrelenting gales and ferocious seas, but Winstanley's confidence in his tower was unshakable. He boasted 'I only wish that I may be in the lighthouse in circumstances that will test its strength to their utmost.'
On the 26th of November 1703, Winstanley's wish came true. That night the biggest recorded storm to hit Britain devastated the entire country, claiming at least 8,000 lives. When people came out to the Smeaton's Tower to see how it had faired, there was not a trace of anything. Not of Winstanley, not of the lighthouse crew and not of the lighthouse. All they found was some twisted metal sticking up from the rocks. Winstanley and his lighthouse was gone.
His light had kept sailors safe for over four years, but just two days after the lighthouse collapsed, a ship struck the rocks and sank with the loss of all hands. Another lighthouse was built, but it burnt down, so the maritime authorities commissioned Yorkshireman John Smeaton to build a structure that would stand the test of time and its stump still remains here now.
This was a huge step forward in lighthouse design. These blocks of granite are dovetailed together like three-dimensional jigsaw pieces, that all lock together. Smeaton had used the shape of an English oak tree as inspiration for his lighthouse. He wanted it to be sturdy, but also flexible enough to sway slightly in the wind.
It entered service in October 1759, and so effective was Smeaton's innovative design, it became the standard for lighthouses worldwide, and is still a template for today's lighthouse builders. Smeaton's lighthouse stood for 120 years before cracks appeared. Not in the tower, but on the rock below it. The lighthouse had proved to be tougher than the very rock it stood on.
Such was the significance of Smeaton's Tower, that the people of Plymouth paid for it to be taken down block by block and rebuilt on Plymouth Hoe as a lasting testament to its designer. Smeaton's Tower stands there today as Plymouth's most iconic and famous landmark, a testament not only to Smeaton, but to all of the pioneering lighthouse builders who gave their lives to save the lives of others.
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His light had kept sailors safe for over four years, but just two days after the lighthouse collapsed, a ship struck the rocks and sank with the loss of all hands. Another lighthouse was built, but it burnt down, so the maritime authorities commissioned Yorkshireman John Smeaton to build a structure that would stand the test of time and its stump still remains here now.
This was a huge step forward in lighthouse design. These blocks of granite are dovetailed together like three-dimensional jigsaw pieces, that all lock together. Smeaton had used the shape of an English oak tree as inspiration for his lighthouse. He wanted it to be sturdy, but also flexible enough to sway slightly in the wind.
It entered service in October 1759, and so effective was Smeaton's innovative design, it became the standard for lighthouses worldwide, and is still a template for today's lighthouse builders. Smeaton's lighthouse stood for 120 years before cracks appeared. Not in the tower, but on the rock below it. The lighthouse had proved to be tougher than the very rock it stood on.
Such was the significance of Smeaton's Tower, that the people of Plymouth paid for it to be taken down block by block and rebuilt on Plymouth Hoe as a lasting testament to its designer. Smeaton's Tower stands there today as Plymouth's most iconic and famous landmark, a testament not only to Smeaton, but to all of the pioneering lighthouse builders who gave their lives to save the lives of others.
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