Approach Plymouth 's Hoe and a surprising sight awaits you. As you pass the War Memorial a bold, red-and-white lighthouse appears. But what's it doing on dry land?

Smeaton's Lighthouse was one of four lighthouses that have been built on the Eddystone rocks , an outcrop just 14 miles from the Plymouth coast. Many ships were wrecked at Eddystone, and its long history makes it one of the world's most famous lighthouse sites.

When the first two Eddystone lighthouses were destroyed by storm and fire, the engineer John Smeaton stepped in to design a tower strong enough to cope with the terrible off-shore conditions. He invented quick-drying concrete for the foundations (which were almost always underwater) and his lighthouse was erected in 1759. It lasted for more than a hundred years, but when the rocks beneath started to show the strain, it was dismantled and rebuilt in the Hoe.

The granite stones were carried, one at a time, to the shore, and Smeaton's original design was faithfully reproduced. So what you're climbing is exactly what the 19 th century lighthouse keeper would have climbed on a daily basis!

The first man to attempt to build a lighthouse on the Eddystone rocks was something of an eccentric. Henry Winstanley was a wealthy British inventor. His home was filled with mechanical contraptions, gadgets and inventions, and he ran a wacky theatre in Piccadilly.

Winstanley invested his profits in ships, and when two of his ships were wrecked on the Eddystone rocks in 1696, Winstanley wasn't a man to let the issue rest.

He determined to design and erect a lighthouse to keep ships away from the treacherous Eddystone Rocks . It took his team of builders five months to prepare the rocks for the foundations. Armed with his architectural plans, Winstanley accompanied the men for the next phase of building. But he hadn't bargained for the next problem - he and his men were captured in 1697 by a French privateer.

When Louis XIV heard about Winstanley's work and subsequent kidnap by French men, he was appalled. He ordered the merchant's immediate release, declaring that their war was with England , not humanity.

Winstanley was more determined than ever to complete his biggest work. It took his men another year, rowing back and forth to the rocks with tools and materials, to build the lighthouse. But finally, in 1698, it was complete - bright, outlandish and eccentric, just like its creator. Winstanley climbed to the very top and lit several candles, and astonished fishermen out in the bay brought back news that there was a light at Eddystone.

Although the new lighthouse was mostly met with delight and praise, Winstanley's critics were laughing loud. They said that his masterpiece would never hold up in a real storm, and warned of future disaster. But Winstanley was defiant. He furnished the lighthouse interior with luxurious living space and declared to the world that his greatest wish was to witness a storm from within his lighthouse.

In 1703 he got his wish. The biggest storm ever to hit Britain arrived on November 25 th . Daniel Defoe, a novelist who later wrote about the storm, described people being lifted into the air. Cattle drowned and hundreds of houses were destroyed. Winstanley, who had rowed to his lighthouse to carry out repair work on the 25 th , was never found. On the 26 th November, all that remained of the Winstanley lighthouse were a couple of shards of iron rising from the rocks.

The next man to build a lighthouse was Captain Lovett, who, believing Winstanley's efforts to have been important if not successful, obtained a lease on the Eddystone Rocks and employed a designer.

John Rudyerd's design was cone-shaped (more like the house seen today on the Hoe) and promised to be easier to access and longer-lasting than Winstanley's wedding-cake design. Built in oak and iron, this lighthouse lasted for 47 years, protecting ships from the treacherous rocks for a remarkably long time. In fact, Rudyerd's tower was said to be the world's first 'successful' lighthouse.

However, in 1755 a fire started in the lantern and, despite the keeper's best efforts to put the fire out, it travelled downwards and consumed the lighthouse. The keeper was rescued but later died in hospital, having swallowed molten lead as it flowed down from the fire.

The third man to attempt a lighthouse was John Smeaton, a trained civil engineer who went on to lead a distinguished career.

His version, which was completed in 1759, incorporated granite blocks and innovative, quick-setting lime concrete. It was going to take a lot of storms to bring this one down.

The lighthouse stayed put for 118 years - until the rocks at the foundation began to show cracks. Since the structure remained intact, the decision was made to dismantle it, stone by stone, and rebuild it on the Hoe - where it remains today.

The modern lighthouse was conceived by James Douglass in 1877. He was the Chief Engineer at Trinity House and well equipped to create a new lighthouse. Drawing on some of Smeaton's techniques, including the granite blocks and his patented concrete, the new build took only 3 years to complete.

Foundations began in 1879 and the oil-powered lantern was lit on 18 th May, 1882 . In 1956 the light became electrically powered and in the 1980s a helicopter landing pad was constructed - the Eddystone Lighthouse had completed its modernisation.

On a clear day, you can see the Tower from the Hoe, and to the left you'll see the remains of Smeaton's Lighthouse.