John Smeaton He pioneered the use of 'hydraulic lime' (a form of mortar that will set under water) and developed a technique involving dovetailed blocks of granite in the building of the lighthouse. His lighthouse remained in use until 1877 when the rock underlying the structure's foundations had begun to erode; it was dismantled and partially rebuilt at Plymouth Hoe where it is known as Smeaton's Tower. Deciding that he wanted to focus on the lucrative field of civil engineering, he commenced an extensive series of commissions, including: Smeaton is considered to be the first expert witness to appear in an English
La Rocchetta Lighthouse La Rocchetta Lighthouse La Rocchetta Lighthouse () is an active lighthouse located on the southern part of the promontory of Piombino overlooking the Piombino Channel which separates the Elba from the mainland. The lighthouse was built in 1928 on the same place where once was La Rocchetta, one of the four defensive fortifications, then demolished in the 1920s in order to make room for a panoramic town square above the cliff, which were connected to each other by walls that surrounded the city. The lighthouse consists of a quadrangular grey stone tower in Neo Gothic style, high, with castellated balcony