John Smeaton

Forging his own way

John Smeaton’s father was a lawyer, and Smeaton was expected to follow in his father's footsteps. However, it was not to be and he spent time as a mathematical instrument maker before moving into engineering, starting with millworks and lighthouses. Smeaton created 4 windmills and 43 watermills and then he built the Eddystone Lighthouse, a feat that caught the attention of other engineers and set him on a path towards civil engineering.

He first became involved in the Calder Navigation. From there he went on to work on other waterways, including the Fossdyke Canal, and spent a considerable amount of time working on the Birmingham canals.

Civil engineering

Smeaton is know as the 'Father of civil engineering' after coining the term to describe engineering that was for the good of the people, and not the military. He also created the roles 'resident' and 'chief engineer' which are still widely used today. In 1771 he was a founding member of the Society of Civil Engineers - which has been renamed the Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers, in his honour.

Consulting on canals

After his work on the lighthouse and spending time in Holland studying canal construction and flood defences, Smeaton was soon asked to consult on a number of canal and river projects back in the UK, and subsequently throughout his career.

These include the Forth and Clyde Canal in Scotland, which opened a waterway between the Atlantic and the North Sea, the Ripon Canal, the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal and the Aire & Calder Navigation in Leeds.

Over his career as a consulting civil engineer, Smeaton designed watermills, windmills, canals, harbours and land drainage schemes, and more than 100 bridges as well as steam-powered engines. He also produced over 200 technical reports. His papers were published by the Royal Society, the world's oldest scientific academy.

Inspiring the next generation

William Jessop, who was mentored by Smeaton during the building of the Eddystone Lighthouse, assisted on many of Smeaton's projects. Jessop later went on to a great civil engineer in his own right, working alongside John Rennie and Thomas Telford.

A lasting legacy

Upon his death in 1792, he was buried in the same parish where he was born, where a memorial tablet depicts the Eddystone Lighthouse - arguably his greatest work. He also is remembered at Westminster Abbey with a similar stone.