This is Smeaton's Tower in Plymouth. Once out at sea (you can still see the 'stump' next door to the much larger replacement that was built in its place). Constructed in 1759 at a cost of £40,000 it is the world's first stone lighthouse. Originally it was lit by just 24 candles too. It was taken down in the early 1880s when it was decided that the sea was undermining the rock it was standing on. It was moved to shore stone by stone and reconstructed as a memorial to the Civil Engineer John Smeaton who had designed it. Now standing at 72 foot high, you can go inside (like I did) and get some great views of Plymouth Sound and the city from the lantern room which, along with the rest of the building, has been painstakingly restored to its original glory. I was in #Plymouth to explore the connections with @Mayflower400 - and fit yet another piece into the #Mayflower400 jigsaw we are working on. The lighthouse wasn't there when the Pilgrims sailed, and in fact although this was the third one, even the original wooden construction wasn't built until 1698. #exploremore #travelawesome #wanderful #writetotravel #exploringtheworld #guardiantravelsnaps #mytinyatlas #natgeography #darlingescapes #letsgobeyond #TBIN #TTOT #visitplymouth #visitdevon #lovedevon #smeatonstower

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