The History of Helical (screw) piles

It was Alexander Mitchell, a blind Irish engineer, who invented the Helical (screw) pile in the 1830s, an invention that proved to be a major improvement on the standard straight pile design and one that enabled piles to be screwed into sandy or muddy sea or river bottoms. Mitchell and his son promptly patented this cast iron screw pile design and by 1840 the first screw pile lighthouse had been built at Maplin Sands in the mouth of the Thames.

This innovative design proved to be extremely popular and it was not long before the technology was introduced to the United States. Many screw pile lighthouses were constructed in the soft river beds of Carolina’s estuaries where lightships had previously been relied upon, but screw pile lighthouses could also be found in the Gulf of Mexico, with one even built in the Great Lakes in Ohio at Maumee Bay.

The typical screw pile lighthouse was a six or eight-sided building, consisting of a central pile screwed into the ground initially, and the six or eight perimeter piles screwed into place around it. This increased the bearing power of the piles as well as the anchoring properties.

In 1863 Eugenius Birch, the great Victorian engineer, was invited to design and engineer the Brighton West pier.  The first piles were put in place in March 1864 with dozens of cast iron threaded columns screwed into the seabed and strengthened by a lattice of ties and girders that provide the necessary strength to support the promenade deck. These piles were installed by hand using large torque bars and much man power. The Brighton West Pier stands to this day and will hopefully soon be renovated back to its former glory.

The Helix (screw) pile design is just as effective in the 21st Century as it was back in the 19th Century. It continues to be installed throughout the world.