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 Jul 2025Colourful houses of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Cheerful colours of a Cornwall classic
A mirror reflecting natures beauty
A cuddling pair of Taiwan yuhina
6 Sep 2025Rufous hummingbird, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California, United States
A legend sprung from the ground
17 Apr 2025Andean cocks-of-the-rock, Ecuador
A mountaintop cultural wonder
Keep practising, little guy
14 Jun 2025Trooping the Colour
29 Sep 2025Rainbow houses, Houten, Netherlands
25 Jun 2024Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, USA
22 Feb 2024Bathing boxes at Brighton Beach, Australia
29 Jan 2026Milwaukee City Hall, Wisconsin, United States
11 Jan 2024Eurasian lynx
5 Jan 2026A herd of impalas, Londolozi Game Reserve, South Africa
11 Jul 2025World Population Day
11 Feb 2025Yungang Grottoes, Datong, China
A view that’s out of this world
All hail the mighty mangrove!
An architectural masterpiece fit for a king
9 Apr 2025Naxos, Cyclades, Greece
27 Nov 2025Eastbourne Pier, East Sussex, England
19 Aug 2025The Three Musketeers Falls at Iguazú Falls, Argentina
Taking a New Year nap
22 Jan 2024Walton Lighthouse, Santa Cruz, California, USA
11 Nov 2025Externsteine in the Teutoburg Forest, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Singing the blues
The bears of summer
Poetry in suspense