John Smeaton 1724-1792. The Making of an Engineering Genius

John Smeaton founded the British engineering profession, conferring upon a hitherto disparate group of practitioners an identity and a status which has lasted to this day. His career covered a greater range of projects than any of his contemporaries, and included lighthouses, canals and river training, docks and harbours, fen drainage and bridge building. In all these fields he advanced the understanding of technical issues, improved manufacturing skills, well-thought out project management and economy of materials. These remain necessary attributes for engineers today. This lecture considers the reasons for his pre-eminence and highlights some of his achievements.

Julia Elton FSA is an engineering historian, a past president of the Newcomen Society for the History of Engineering and Technology and an honorary member of the Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers. She has recently gained a PhD on the history of lighthouse illumination.

This lecture will be available in person at Dagnall Street Baptist Church and also online via Zoom. Attendance is free to SAHAAS members; £5 for non-members.

Please click on the button above right to register. You will then receive confirmation of your registration by email return. Registration closes at 3.30pm on Tuesday 2 December.

All those registered will be emailed the Zoom joining instructions by 4pm on the day of the lecture. If you have not received this by 5pm, please contact us using the email address below. NB. If you are registering two or more members to attend via Zoom, and want each of them to receive the link in their own email inbox, these details need to be entered at registration.

It is important to note that SAHAAS operates hybrid talks relying on two volunteers who work very hard behind-the-scenes on the technology to ensure we can offer this service to those unable to attend at the church. Occasionally despite our best efforts technology works against us. There may be a delay in acknowledging an issue but this is only because we are working out how to resolve it.

If you have any questions, please email Gill Girdziusz via [email protected]

Photo above: John Smeaton with Eddystone Lighthouse in the background (Wikipedia)

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