The first civil engineer

John Smeaton left an indelible mark on the field of engineering and, three centuries after his birth, his legacy remains as strong as ever

- Martyn Baguley

I’M FASCINATED by anniversaries. It’s not an obsession (annivomania?), just an interest I discharge periodically by referring to one of my reference books, which contains a list of ‘notable’ dates. It was during one of these explorations that I first saw: ‘Born 1724 – John Smeaton’. I’d never heard of this ‘John Smeaton’, so my interest was piqued. An account from his biography reads: ‘A modest character who didn’t like to boast, the truth remains that John Smeaton stopped London Bridge from falling down, built the most iconic lighthouse in the world and is name-checked on NASA’s website.’

Smeaton was born at Austhorpe Lodge, four miles east of Leeds. He was the eldest of three children delivered to William Smeaton, a lawyer, and his wife Mary. Accounts suggest he was a serious-minded little boy who went to Leeds Grammar School at 10. It couldn’t have been easy for him there: shy and retiring, and with no interest in games, he was called ‘Fooley Smeaton’ by his peers. Little could they have imagined what would be achieved by the subject of their sneering.

Described as only an ‘average scholar’, Smeaton used all his spare time to watch and question working tradesmen. Often without any plans, books or assistance, he would make things, including a water pump (with which he drained the family fishpond) and a turning lathe. However, rather than delighting his father, this growing interest in what were considered to be less socially acceptable mechanical pursuits was something of a concern. Smeaton was sent to London when he was 18 to train as a lawyer. Being a dutiful son, he persevered with his legal studies for two years. However, his heart wasn’t in law, so he wrote a letter to his father begging to be allowed to follow his mechanical interests and was overjoyed when his father agreed.