Smeaton's Tower

Publisher: Seafarer Books 2005 £ 13.95

The design, building and survival of the world’s first stone light tower set onto the sea-girt reef of Eddystone, fourteen miles off Plymouth Hoe, became a triumph for John Smeaton, arguably the world’s first civil engineer. In this interesting book the author tells the tale in a semi-fictional manner, complete with invented characters, and vividly brings to life the perseverance, resolve, effort and skill of the real masons and seamen who saw the job to completion under frequently difficult conditions in the late 1750s. There were no Health and Safety rules then, but Smeaton’s revolutionary and humane consideration towards his work force is well documented. The dialogue is occasionally somewhat long-winded, but that is entirely in keeping with the times described and in any event it leads the reader effortlessly through the domestic sub-plot that changes the book from a mere engineering description to an animated and quite gripping yarn. The facts of the tower’s inter-locking stone’s construction are accurately researched and short extracts from Smeaton’s contemporary account appear throughout. There is a generous selection of good and relevant illustrations together with many charming soft-pencil sketches by the author. The book, a solid well-presented soft back, is a delight, but I have to confess to being biased. After all, from my house I can see the top two thirds of Smeaton’s Tower every day, and frequently walk up to pat its flanks.  – EC

"© Cruising Association [2000] All rights reserved.
Use of this site is subject to our Terms and Conditions."