The Hoe Neighbourhood Forum logo is not just a pretty picture – it means something to us. Its graphic design is based on the Hoe’s most famous landmark. “It doesn’t look like a lighthouse”, you say? Ah, but our logo represents the very foundation of Smeaton’s Tower.
John Smeaton was the engineer tasked with building a new lighthouse on Eddystone Rocks, a dangerous obstacle for ships about nine miles off Rame Head. It was not to be the first lighthouse at Eddystone but the third. The first was called the Winstanley Lighthouse, which was destroyed in the Great Storm of 1703, taking its over-confident designer Henry Winstanley with it. A second one, the Rudyard Lighthouse, was finished in 1709 but destroyed by a fire in 1755. A new beacon was important to keep Britain’s seafarers (and their cargo) safe.
Smeaton knew that any structure on Eddystone would have to withstand the might of the sea. He used two innovative methods: a limestone cement that could harden under water and a dovetail construction inspired by the shape and inner structure of an oak tree. This building technique distributes impact and provides great strength that is almost impossible to pull apart – ideal for resisting high winds and powerful waves.
(source: Wikipedia)
Cornish tin miners were employed for the construction of the lighthouse (they were given immunity from the ubiquitous press gangs in exchange for the remote and hazardous work), which was completed in 1759. Smeaton’s design was indeed able to resist the elements, however, by the mid-1870s the rocks on which the lighthouse stood had eroded to the point that it shook with every large wave that struck.
In 1877 a decision was made to build a replacement. The fourth lighthouse was designed by James Douglass, who improved on Smeaton's techniques. During construction of the new lighthouse, the Town Council of Plymouth petitioned for Smeaton's structure to be dismantled and rebuilt on Plymouth Hoe. While the new tower was being built, the old lighthouse remained operational. When the new structure was completed in 1882, Smeaton's lighthouse was decommissioned, and the crane used to build the new lighthouse was turned to the task of dismantling the old one. The foundation of Smeaton’s lighthouse proved too strong to be dismantled, and stub of the old tower remains on Eddystone Rocks close to Douglass’s lighthouse, which is still in use today. The rest of Smeaton’s Tower was rebuilt on the Hoe and opened to the public by the Mayor of Plymouth on 24 September 1884.
Smeaton’s clever dovetail construction method has been commemorated with a cross-section set into the pavement at the corner of Millbay Road and West Hoe Road (near Salumi restaurant). Looking at it there, one can appreciate the design as a pattern as well an engineering innovation, and it is this that inspired the Hoe Neighbourhood Forum logo.
Our logo represents how multiple pieces that fit together make a strong whole. It stands for the different people and elements that make up our neighbourhood and how they work together to support the Hoe community. The logo is also a subtle homage to the importance of our local heritage. The centre piece and the colours spread out to the side like a lighthouse guiding the way. We believe it’s the perfect symbol for a group dedicated to making our community stronger and better.