JF Ptak Science Books Post 2599
Henry Wenstanley was an artisan and an engineer with a long interest in architecture who rose to sufficiently high rank to be considered and selected to build a lighthouse at Eddystone (14 miles from Plymouth, built on the Eddystone reef, south of Rame Head). He started in 1696 and was done by 1698, and had successfully constructed the world’s greatest lighthouse. He modified and reinforced it substantially in the next few years, winding up with a stout-looking if cabinet-of-curiosity appearance.
[Image source: Derek Birdsall, Carlo Cipolla, The Technologies of Man, Pinehurst Press (UK), 1979, page 150.]
The lighthouse was extraordinary, though it did not last for long, and neither did Wenstanley.
In November 1703 Wenstanley was in the structure when it suffered a complete loss in a storm, the building swept away, along with everyone in it.
A depiction of the impossible wave–an image no doubt that launched a thousand nightmares–fighting the lighthouse is seen here:
[Source: Dark Roasted Blend blog; original source unknown http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2006/10/amazing-lighthouse-of-henry-winstanley.html]
It is another instance of an inventor/engineer being killed by his/her creation–there’s probably an easy effort to be made in constructing an alphabet of this unfortunate and unhappy crew. This was the first of five Eddystone lighthouses, all difficult building sbuilt ina very difficult location. The first two were built by Winstanley–the first he built in 1696 was damaged so substantially in a winter storm that it was rebuilt almost entirely, bringing to us the second lighthouse in 1698. As we have seen, that one last until the unfortunate 1703 storm, and was replaced by the third lighthouse built by John Rudyerd, constructed from 1708-9 and opened in that second year. The third lighthouse was constructed by John Smeaton from 1756-9 and lasted for 127 years until it was replaced by James Douglass’ structure in 1882. Actually, the Smeaton structure (pictured below) was dismantled and rebuilt further inland on the Plymouth Hoe, where it can be found today.
[Image source: Geological Society (UK) via https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/GeositesEddystone]
The following cross section seems to be the third of the lighthouses:
[Source: Abraham Rees Encyclopedia, printed in London in 1819]
Notes:
Here’s a charming re-enactment of the failure of the structure by the Parish of Littlebury Millennium Society/History (Junior) Group: http://www.recordinguttlesfordhistory.org.uk/littlebury/eddystone.html