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:

Let’s have a lek, see?
7 Aug 2024Vineyards above the Moselle River, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
25 Jul 2024Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, USA
2 Jun 2025Skipper butterfly on an Echinacea flower
7 May 2025Dunluce Castle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
3 Oct 2023Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Islands, Australia
1 Dec 2024Antarctica Day
3 Jan 2025Happy Birthday, JRR Tolkien!
Teeming with trout
Stealthy pollinators
Crystal clear
Patchwork of peace
20 Jul 2025Moon Day
29 Mar 2025Superbloom in Carrizo Plain National Monument, California, United States
Happy Yorkshire Day!
24 May 2024European Day of Parks
20 May 2024World Bee Day
5 Jan 2024International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, Harbin, China
3 May 2025Happy International Astronomy Day!
26 Feb 2025Castle Stalker, Argyll, Scotland
Bryce Canyon hoodoos in winter
Go fly a kite!
7 Sep 2025Great North Run
Christmas flowers
7 Jun 2025Victoria Street in Edinburgh, Scotland
Panoramic Penzance
Single file, please!
18 Aug 2024The Isle of Wight Garlic Festival
28 Jun 2025Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park, United States
15 Apr 2024World Art Day