John Smeaton. Portrait of the English engineer John Smeaton (1724-1792). Smeaton is commonly regarded as the first fully professional English civil engineer. He planned the construction of many canals, harbours and bridges. His masterpiece is considered to be the Eddystone lighthouse near Plymouth in the English Channel. It was completed in 1759 and took three years to build. Another major project planned by Smeaton was the Forth and Clyde canal in Scotland. It was begun in 1768 and took 20 years to complete. He also carried out many experiments to test the efficiency of steam engines and to determine the most efficient forms for the windmill and watermill.