Lighthouse of the Week, September 18 - 23, 2023: Eddystone Lighthouse and Smeaton's Tower, UK

This is actually two lighthouses. The first used to be next to where the second one is now. That's understandable, right?

Let's show where they are, and then get into how they got there.

Eddystone - Smeaton's Tower 

Eddystone - English Channel 

So, about the one that's in the English Channel (first). It's the fifth one that has been located there. The Lighthouse Directory (as one would expect) has lots of good information.

"1882 (James Douglass). Station established 1698. Active; focal plane 41 m (135 ft); two quick white flashes, separated by 2.5 s, every 10 s. In addition, a red light (5 s on, 5 s off) is shown to the northwest from a tower window at a focal plane of 28 m (93 ft). 51 m (168 ft) round granite tower, incorporating keeper's quarters, with lantern and a helipad built above the lantern. Tower is unpainted gray stone; lantern and helipad painted red. ... This is probably the most famous British lighthouse and indeed one of the most famous lighthouses in the world. The first tower, built of wood, had to be rebuilt one year later and lasted only 4 more years. The third (Rudyerd's Tower), was designed by John Rudyerd and built with alternate courses of oak timbers and granite blocks. Remarkably durable, this tower (the first successful open ocean lighthouse in the world) stood from 1709 until it burned in 1755. The fourth tower was a tapered granite and concrete structure built by John Smeaton. A huge advance in civil engineering, it introduced techniques that became standard in lighthouse construction. Completed in 1759, it stood until cracks in the masonry forced its removal in the 1880s. The upper portion of Smeaton's Tower was rebuilt on Plymouth Hoe (see above) but the base of the original remains next to the current tower. A Fresnel lens was installed in Smeaton's Tower in 1845. The present tower, designed by Sir James Douglass, is built with granite blocks that are interlocked both side to side and above and below, giving the tower exceptional strength. Located on a rock that barely breaks the surface of the sea about 25 km (15 mi) south southwest of Plymouth."

Here are the pictures of the Eddystone light, and a video.

 

So that's the first one. Now, about the rebuilt upper portion that's now in Plymouth, which is called Smeaton's Tower.

"1759 (John Smeaton). Inactive since 1882. 22 m (72 ft) tapered granite tower with lantern and gallery, painted with red and white horizontal bands. The lantern, formerly red, is now painted white. ... Smeaton's Tower was the first successful stone waveswept tower and one of the great engineering marvels of the 18th century. When the current Eddystone lighthouse was built the upper 2/3 of the 1759 tower was saved for reassembly in Plymouth. It was carefully restored and renovated in 2000-02. The 250th anniversary of the lighthouse was celebrated on 17 October 2009."

Three pictures and a painting below; as you can see, it's located in a nice Plymouth coastal park.