Credit: © The Royal Society
Image number: RS.10377
Looking for a special gift? Buy a print of this image.
Winstanley’s Lighthouse on the Eddystone Rocks
Date
1762
Creator
Henry Roberts (1705, British) , Engraver
Object type
Library reference
R63812
Material
Technique
Dimensions
height (print): 570mm
width (print): 350mm
width (print): 350mm
Subject
Content object
Description
Depiction of the south elevation of the first lighthouse built upon the Eddystone Rocks, near Plymouth. The lighthouse was built in 1696-99 by the English engineer Henry Winstanley (1644-1703), and was destroyed in the Great Storm of 27 November 1703, which killed Winstanley and five other men. This lighthouse was subsequently replaced by a design by John Rudyard.
Roberts’s 1762 engraving is based on an earlier orthographic drawing from a perspective print. It was republished as plate 5 of A narrative of the building and a description of the construction of the Edystone lighthouse with stone, by John Smeaton (London, 1791). The Royal Society’s copy was donated by the author on 20 January 1791.
The plate is inscribed: ‘South ELEVATION of WINSTANLEY’S LIGHTHOUSE, upon the EDYSTONE ROCK, As it was finished in the Year 1699. Drawn Orthographically from a Perspective Print thereof, Published by himself.’
Includes scale: 1 inch = 6 feet
Roberts’s 1762 engraving is based on an earlier orthographic drawing from a perspective print. It was republished as plate 5 of A narrative of the building and a description of the construction of the Edystone lighthouse with stone, by John Smeaton (London, 1791). The Royal Society’s copy was donated by the author on 20 January 1791.
The plate is inscribed: ‘South ELEVATION of WINSTANLEY’S LIGHTHOUSE, upon the EDYSTONE ROCK, As it was finished in the Year 1699. Drawn Orthographically from a Perspective Print thereof, Published by himself.’
Includes scale: 1 inch = 6 feet
Associated place