15th October 2009 - Smeaton's Tower, Plymouth Hoe
Candlelight celebrates the 250th Aniversary of Smeaton's Tower on Plymouth Hoe.
Completed in 1759, Smeaton's tower was the third lighthouse to protect shipping from the notorious Eddystone Reef.
The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1882 as the rocks below the foundations were eroding.
The main tower was dismantled block by block and rebuilt on Plymouth Hoe.
It's granite base or "stump" can still be seen on a clear day next to the replacement lighthouse, some 14 miles out to sea from the Hoe.
John Smeaton's revolunionary design used over 1000 tons of Granite and was lit with 24 large candles.
To celebrate the 250th aniversary of the lighthouse, the Plymouth Institute of Civil Engineers recreated the nightly routine by relighting 24 candles.
Smeaton's "Oak tree" design became the blueprint for all lighthouses, with a low centre of gravity and interlocking blocks the design can withstand high winds and storm waves.
The modern lamps on the Eddystone lighthouse have the equivilent power of 7 million candles.
