International Lighthouse Weekend Aug 20, 2023

To mark International Lighthouse Weekend, we"re on England"s southwest coast, where Start Point Lighthouse looks out over the turbulent waters of the English Channel. The lighthouse is perched upon a rugged cliff on one of the country"s most exposed peninsulas, which stretches nearly a mile into the sea in the county of Devon. Built in 1836, the elegant lighthouse was designed by civil engineer James Walker in the Gothic style, as seen in its castle-like parapet. It has undergone many changes since then and more accommodation was added in the 1870s, but no lighthouse keepers live there now—it has been automated since 1993.

© Guy Edwardes/Minden Pictures

palette

Today in History

A deadly coast
21 Aug 2024Wolf Island, Galápagos, Ecuador
21 Aug 2025Wheatear, Peak District National Park, England

More Desktop Wallpapers:

25 Oct 2023Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah, USA
Remembering D-Day
13 Nov 2025Quiver trees, Keetmanshoop, Namibia
3 Jan 2026JRR Tolkien Day
24 Jul 2025Happy Cousins Day!
Like paint on a canvas
Jewel of the Adriatic
15 Nov 2024Yi Peng lantern festival, Chiang Mai, Thailand
14 Dec 2024Christmas Bird Count turns 125
Hiding in the woods
8 Sep 2024Great North Run
16 Jul 2024Festival of British Archaeology
16 Sep 2024Wallabies, Australia
16 Mar 2024Giant panda
Guarding the pass
A shiver of sharks on the hunt
20 May 2025World Bee Day
Where can you find this cute creature?
7 Oct 2025Autumn colours below Mount Sneffels near Ridgway, Colorado, United States
7 May 2024A duckling swimming in a water meadow, Suffolk, England
Patchwork of peace
Stars in daylight
Just a couple of know-it-owls
Sep 2, 2023National Hummingbird Day
23 Oct 2024Madame Sherri Forest, New Hampshire, United States
16 Sep 2023Oktoberfest begins
21 Apr 2025International Dark Sky Week
Something to ‘bee’ thankful for
17 Mar 2024Saint Patricks Day
Rolling hills and charming villages