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The current structure is the fourth lighthouse (some say it is the fifth - the first was considerably rebuilt after a major storm in its first winter; the challenge was met by four main designs).
The first was an octagonal wooden structure created by Henry Winstanley and the light was first lit on 14 November 1698. It lasted five years before a great storm on 27 November 1703 erased almost all trace of it, killing Winstanley in the process.
The second lighthouse was designed by John Rudyard (or Rudyerd) as a conical wooden structure and was first lit in 1709. It survived until 2 December 1755 when it was destroyed by fire. One of the keepers, Henry Hall (aged 94!) found that a spark from a chimney had set the roof alight. He and his two companions were unable to put the fire out, and they were forced to retreat down the tower until eventually the lighthouse burned down around them. They were rescued the next day, but Henry Hall died about two weeks later and it was found that, while looking up at the fire, he had swallowed molten lead running off the roof. This lead, weighing nearly half a pound, solidified in his stomach and killed him. It is said that this was the first medically documented case of lead poisoning. A report was submitted to the Royal Society by the physician, Dr Spry, and the piece of lead is now in a museum in Edinburgh.
The third lighthouse was perhaps the most notable as it marked a major step forward in the design of such structures. Recommended to the task by the Royal Society, civil engineerThe term civil engineer refers to an individual who practices civil engineering. Originally the term "civil" engineer worked on public works projects and was contrasted with the military engineer, who worked on armaments and defenses. Over time, civil eng John SmeatonJohn Smeaton ( 8 June 1724 28 October 1792) was a civil engineer indeed, he is often regarded as the 'Father of civil engineering responsible for the design of bridges, canals, harbour and lighthouse. He was also a more than capable mechanical engineer an pioneered the use of ' hydraulic lime ' (a form of concreteIn general, a concept is considered concrete if it is not abstract: it must be both particular and an individual, and hence occupy both space and time. To say that a physical object is concrete is to say, approximately, that it is a particular individual) and developed a technique involving dovetailed blocks of graniteGranite is a common and widely-occurring group of intrusive felsic igneous rocks that form at great depths and pressures under continents. Granite consists of orthoclase and plagioclase feldspars, quartz, hornblende, biotite, muscovite and minor accessory in the building of the lighthouse ( 1755- 1759Events January 11 In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the first American life insurance company is incorporated. January 13 The Tavora family is executed following the accusation of attempted regicide on Joseph I of Portugal January 15 The British Museum opens).
His lighthouse (the shape modelled on that of an oak tree) remained in use until 1877Events January 1 Queen Victoria proclaimed Empress of India by the Royal Titles Act, introduced by United Kingdom Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. January 8 Crazy Horse and his warriors fight their last battle with the United States Cavalry ( Montana) Ja when it was discovered that the rocks upon which it stood were becoming eroded. The lighthouse was dismantled and partially rebuilt at Plymouth Hoe as a memorial. The foundations remain on the Eddystone Rocks, close to the new (and more solid) foundations of the current lighthouse.
The current, fourth lighthouse was designed by James Douglass , developing some techniques pioneered by Robert Stevenson, and opened in 1882. The tower is 51m high.
The lighthouse inspired the shanty that begins
| Smeatons Tower atop Plymouth Hoe |