John Smeaton and Lendal Tower bronze plaque

This bronze commemorative plaque records: Lendal Tower. Dating from about 1300, it was originally part of the City's defences, with a defensive chain stretching from here to the Tower on the opposite bank. In 1677 it was leased to the predecessors of The York Waterworks Plc for five hundred years, at an annual rent of one peppercorn, for use as a water tower. During the 18th century it housed a steam pumping engine modified to the design of John Smeaton FRS, then a proprietor of the Waterworks. It ceased to be used for those purposes in 1850. In 1932 it was refurbished and now houses the Company's Board Rooms. Recorded plaque organisation: York Civic Trust.

John Smeaton FRS, a pioneering civil engineer, is remembered for his innovations in hydraulics and materials testing; he modified the steam pumping engine at Lendal Tower to improve water supply efficiency in York.