The Father of civil engineering in the North East

This year marks 300 years since the birth of the noted civil engineer John Smeaton (1724-1792). Smeaton is known as the father of civil engineering and was one of the first consulting engineers, providing advice on over 100 schemes around the United Kingdom. He also revolutionised lighthouse design with the Eddystone lighthouse. As the Institute for Civil Engineers’ archivist notes, he is also namechecked in a Kaiser Chief’s song, I Predict a Riot (“Would never have happened to Smeaton, An Old Leodensian” – Smeaton was born in Leeds and attended the city’s Grammar School).  

His commissions in the North East of Scotland include Banff harbour, Aberdeen’s north pier (the beginning of the modern harbour as we know it), and Peterhead south harbour. 

AHB/3/12/1: Cover of “First Report by John Smeaton, Engineer, upon the harbour of the City of Aberdeen” (1770)

AHB/3/12/2: Plan of the Harbour of Aberdeen with its Alterations as proposed 1787 by Mr Smeaton.  

Smeaton visited Aberdeen in August 1769 and reported to the Town Council on his recommendations to improve the harbour. He found the main issue to be the difficulty entering the harbour because of a sand bar forming to the north, which blocked up the main channel, and recommended deepening the entry way, removing this bar and constructing a north pier to resolve this issue. The pier was built between 1774 and 1780.  

He visited a second time in October 1787, noting “I had the pleasure to find that the deepening of the entry into the Harbour, and removal of the Bar, that was the principal annoyance complained of when I viewed the Harbour in the year 1769, has been effectually removed and cleansed and so kept continually in that improved state by means of the North Pier, which has been erected”.  

AS/Bbnf/13/2 Banff Burgh: Plan of the Harbour of Banff with Design for a New Pier (1770).  

Around the same time, Smeaton was engaged to design a new pier for Banff harbour - a plan of this survives in the burgh’s archives - and a new south harbour at Peterhead, on which work commenced in 1773.  

AHB/11/1/9/13 Aberdeen Harbour Board: Photograph of north end of South Harbour, Peterhead, originally designed by John Smeaton in the 1770s.