Person    | Male  Born 8/6/1724  Died 28/10/1792

John Smeaton

Categories: Engineering

Civil engineer. Born and died at Austhorpe Lodge, Whitkirk, near Leeds. In 1748 he moved to London initially at Great Turnstile and set up in business first as a scientist and maker of instruments but he soon got involved in engineering projects.

Considered by some the "father of civil engineering". Designed bridges, canals, harbours and lighthouses. His most famous work being the third Eddystone Lighthouse, which became the model for all other lighthouses, and appeared on the tail of the old penny, behind Britannia.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
John Smeaton

Commemorated ati

Ship Tavern

Founded: AD 1549. Rebuilt: AD 1923 The Ship Tavern This tavern was establ...

Read More

Skempton Building plaques

2018: Eamonn Doyle has written to correct our "east to west", saying that the...

Read More

Other Subjects

William Henry Barlow

William Henry Barlow

Engineer. Born Charlton. Best known for the St Pancras railway shed. Died at home, High Combe, 145 Charlton Road, SE7, not far from his place of birth.

Person, Engineering

2 memorials
Holborn Conduit

Holborn Conduit

Built on a tributary of the River Fleet to bring clean water to London. Its precise location is not clear, but one source places it at what is now the junction of Snow Hill, Cock Lane and Smithfiel...

Building, Engineering

1 memorial
William Jessop

William Jessop

Civil engineer.  Born Devon.  Worked for Smeaton, first as an apprentice and then as assistant until 1772.  Promoted cast iron as a constructional material.  Built the Grand Canal in Ireland.  Buil...

Person, Engineering, Ireland

1 memorial
Dennis Gabor

Dennis Gabor

Electronics engineer and humanist. Born as Dénes Gábor, in Budapest, Hungary. He worked in Germany for several years, but moved to England when Adolf Hitler came to power. he invented holography in...

Person, Engineering, Germany, Hungary

1 memorial
George Daniels

George Daniels

Horologist. Born in Sunderland. During his lifetime, he was considered to be the best watchmaker in the world, and was one of the few who built complete watches by hand (including the case and dial...

Person, Craft / Design, Engineering

1 memorial