Smeaton's Pier, St. Ives Harbour
St. Ives has two lighthouses located on Smeaton’s Pier.
The East Pier was built between 1766 and 1770 under the supervision of John Smeaton and became known as Smeaton’s Pier. It has a reservoir at its base allowing it to fill up with water as the tide level rises, helping to reduce the action of the waves into the harbour.
The pier was 120 feet long and a lighthouse was later added to the end of the pier in 1830, built by James and Edward Harvey. An octagonal stone gallery room was mounted on a square stone base. It had an observation under a black domed roof with a weather vane. In 1835 the light was converted to gas and the lighthouse continued in use until the pier was extended.
Smeaton’s Pier was extended in the 1890's and a new lighthouse was erected at the end. A 32 foot high octagonal cast iron lighthouse indicated the water level. The lighthouse displays a green light when safe to enter, and red when the water is low.
In 2016 work was done to refurbish the seating area on Smeaton’s Pier. The old shelter, benches and railings were very tatty and almost falling down in some places. Work has now been completed and it is a really lovely, sheltered place to stop and sea gaze. As part of the refurbishment, the new lighthouse (which had been looking rather shabby for years) was given a new coat of white paint.
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