Porthcawl lighthouse, Wales, United Kingdom Nov 18, 2024

With waves crashing against its sturdy base and a stormy sea swirling around, this lighthouse in Porthcawl, Wales, has been standing resilient since 1860. At 9 metres tall, Porthcawl lighthouse, designed by the eminent engineer James Walker, is often pictured being battered by waves when storms hit this coast. The town"s rugged coastline, with its hidden rocky coves, has always posed a perilous challenge to sailors. Porthcawl lighthouse was built to help guide the increasing maritime traffic along the Bristol Channel. This cast-iron lighthouse was the last one in the United Kingdom to be powered by coal and gas. Although it was converted to electric power in 1997, the lighthouse still maintains its historical charm.

© Leighton Collins/Alamy

palette

Today in History

Keyholes to the kingdom
Nov 18, 2023Polar bear mother and cubs, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
Nov 18, 2025Male hooded merganser, Oregon, United States

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Nov 9, 2024Aït Benhaddou, Morocco
The sun sets on the Valley of the Moon
Nov 16, 2024Wadden Sea coast, Friesland, Netherlands
Mar 11, 2026Peach trees in Cieza, Murcia, Spain
Sep 30, 2025Koala in the Great Otway National Park, Australia
Jan 10, 2024Mylopotamos, Thessaly, Greece
Sep 23, 2024Sea otter in Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA
A convocation of eagles assembles
Oct 19, 2025Apples ready for harvest, Minnesota, United States
Dec 17, 2024Traditional red fishermens cabins, Reine, Norway
Sep 25, 2024Giant sequoias, Sequoia National Park, California, USA
Nov 29, 2023New York City, USA
Sep 21, 2024Munich, Germany
Dec 31, 2024New Years Eve in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Jul 27, 2025Barracudas at Shark Reef, Ras Mohammed National Park, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
Nov 16, 2025A traboule in Lyon, France
A smooth landing, feet first
Oct 12, 2024Mysore Dasara
Jan 4, 2026Kings Mountain, Chugach Mountains, Alaska, United States
Fly me to the moon
Mar 8, 2024International Womens Day
Sep 18, 2023Milky Way over Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park
A church atop a hill
Mar 25, 2026Juvenile manatees, Crystal River, Florida, United States
Dec 10, 2025Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, Andalusia, Spain
Chilling out on an ice floe
‘Night shining’ clouds
Feb 10, 2024Chinese New Year
Boardwalk nostalgia
Sep 15, 2023Udaipur, India