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:

Colors of spring
12 Mar 2025Château de Sully-sur-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire, France
A Balearic islet
19 Apr 2024Ring of Brodgar, Orkney, Scotland
8 Jan 2024Bernina Pass, Graubünden, Switzerland
A wave of remembrance
Revealing natures turquoise gem
24 Apr 2025Spire Cove in Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward, Alaska, United States
7 May 2025Dunluce Castle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
23 May 2025World Turtle Day
21 Jun 2024World Giraffe Day
25 Nov 2024Maasai giraffes in Amboseli National Park, Kenya
Sunlight turning silver to gold
17 Dec 2024Traditional red fishermens cabins, Reine, Norway
Aug 28, 2023Dubrovnik, Croatia
28 Nov 2023Giving Tuesday
Im ready for my close-up, Mr. DeSquirrel
The glowing winter
1 Nov 2025Peña Roya beech forest, Moncayo Natural Park, Aragon, Spain
9 Jul 2024Talampaya National Park, Argentina
6 Jun 202581st anniversary of D-Day
Waterborne wizardry
10 Jun 2025Everglades National Park, Florida, United States
13 Dec 2023Svolvaer, Lofoten Islands, Norway
18 Dec 2024English National Ballet performing The Nutcracker
6 Sep 2025Rufous hummingbird, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California, United States
26 Oct 2023Stormont Estate, Northern Ireland
19 Aug 2024Huntington Beach Pier, California, USA
9 Nov 2025Remembrance Sunday
23 Oct 2025International Day of the Snow Leopard