3rd Eddystone Lighthouse. Historical artwork of the third lighthouse on Eddystone rock, England, during a storm. The two previous lighthouses on this rock were timber structures. This lighthouse, designed by the engineer John Smeaton (1724- 1792), was completed in 1759. The lighthouse was 21.3 metres high and established the familiar curved shape seen in modern lighthouses. The lighthouse was of dovetail masonry with concrete binder, the first use of concrete since Roman times. Smeaton was the first man to describe himself as a civil engineer. For this reason the Eddystone Lighthouse is on the crest of The British Institute of Civil Engineers.