John Smeaton
John Smeaton was born on the 8th of June 1724 in Austhorpe, Leeds. He initially joined his father's law firm after attending Leeds Grammar School. This legal career did not last long before he pivoted to become a mathematical instrument maker. Working alongside Henry Hindley, Smeaton developed tools like a pyrometer to study material expansion. His workshop moved to Great Turnstile in Holborn by 1750. The Royal Society elected him as a Fellow in 1753. This scientific recognition paved the way for deeper research into mechanics.
Smeaton designed the third Eddystone Lighthouse between 1755 and 1759. He pioneered the use of hydraulic lime which allowed mortar to set under water. The structure utilized dovetailed blocks of granite for stability. Geology, electrical research, meteorology, and classical learning combined in this design. The lighthouse remained in use until 1877 when erosion threatened its foundations. It was dismantled and partially rebuilt at Plymouth Hoe where it is now known as Smeaton's Tower. A Cornish granite bust by Philip Chatfield was installed in the lantern chamber in 2020.
He decided to focus on civil engineering commissions starting around 1758. Projects included the Calder and Hebble Navigation and Coldstream Bridge over the River Tweed. Smeaton became the first expert witness to appear in an English court during 1782. His testimony concerned the silting-up of the harbour at Wells-next-the-Sea in Norfolk. He also consulted on the New Harbour at Rye which closed in 1839. He coined the term civil engineer to distinguish these professionals from military engineers graduating from Woolwich. The Society of Civil Engineers he founded in 1771 later became the Institution of Civil Engineers.
Smeaton devised a water engine for the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in 1761. He built a watermill at Alston, Cumbria in 1767. Some credit him with inventing the cast-iron axle shaft for water wheels. In 1782 he constructed the Chimney Mill at Spital Tongues in Newcastle upon Tyne. This was the first five-sailed smock mill in Britain. He improved Thomas Newcomen's atmospheric engine by erecting one at Chacewater mine in Cornwall in 1775. This engine was both highly efficient and the most powerful at the time. He applied Denis Papin's idea using a force pump inside a diving bell for the Hexham Bridge project.
His 1759 paper developed concepts that became known as the Smeaton coefficient. This constant described pressure varying inversely as the square of velocity for objects moving in air. The Wright brothers used this data in their pursuit of the first successful heavier-than-air aircraft. They determined through wind tunnels that his value of 0.005 was incorrect. They found the correct value should have been 0.0033. Modern analysis normalizes the lift coefficient by dynamic pressure instead. His work on waterwheels contributed significantly to the Industrial Revolution over seven years of testing.
Smeaton died after suffering a stroke while walking in the garden of Austhorpe on the 28th of October 1792. He was buried in the parish church at Whitkirk, West Yorkshire. Surviving daughters erected a memorial stone on the chancel wall. Between 1860 and 1894 the reverse side of the old penny coin depicted his Eddystone lighthouse behind Britannia. A memorial stone commemorating him was unveiled in Westminster Abbey on the 7th of November 1994. John Smeaton Academy is named after him near Pendas Fields estate. A viaduct in the Leeds Inner Ring Road opened in 2008 bears his name.
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Common questions
When was John Smeaton born and where did he live?
John Smeaton was born on the 8th of June 1724 in Austhorpe, Leeds. He died after suffering a stroke while walking in the garden of Austhorpe on the 28th of October 1792.
What engineering projects did John Smeaton design between 1755 and 1759?
John Smeaton designed the third Eddystone Lighthouse between 1755 and 1759. The structure utilized dovetailed blocks of granite for stability and pioneered the use of hydraulic lime which allowed mortar to set under water.
Why is John Smeaton considered the first civil engineer?
John Smeaton coined the term civil engineer to distinguish these professionals from military engineers graduating from Woolwich. He became the first expert witness to appear in an English court during 1782 regarding the silting-up of the harbour at Wells-next-the-Sea in Norfolk.
How did John Smeaton influence aviation technology through his research?
John Smeaton devised a 1759 paper that developed concepts known as the Smeaton coefficient describing pressure varying inversely as the square of velocity for objects moving in air. The Wright brothers used this data in their pursuit of the first successful heavier-than-air aircraft before determining the correct value should have been 0.0033.
Where was John Smeaton buried and what memorials exist today?
John Smeaton was buried in the parish church at Whitkirk, West Yorkshire. A memorial stone commemorating him was unveiled in Westminster Abbey on the 7th of November 1994 while a viaduct in the Leeds Inner Ring Road opened in 2008 bears his name.