St Catherine's Lighthouse, England

The Cow and the Calf.
As I ventured into the land of lighthouses, I quickly learned that lighthouses all have different looks. Some are tall, some are short, some are bright, some are stocky, some aren't even round.

PC: Wight Way

While some details were added as a result of the architectural trends during the years they were built, their sizes and locations all come down to visibility, which is also the reason why the tower of St Catherine's lighthouse is shorter than when it was originally built.

In 1875 it was decided to reduce its height by 13 metres because the light at the top was frequently shrouded in mist.

PC: Visit Isle of Wight

Notice the little tower to the left in the photo above? No. This is not a second lighthouse tower. This is what the locals refer to as the Calf - the location of the fog signal house until they stopped using it in 1987 (it was moved to this second little tower from the cliff's edge after cracks continued to appear). 

PC: Jaapkievit

Other Noteworthy Dates:

From 1323 to 1530, lights were shone from the chapel in an attempt to warn off ships. For the next three hundred years, there was nothing.

Then, after the loss of the Clarendon, the Cow (lighthouse tower) was finally erected in 1838 at Niton Undercliffe on the Isle of Wight, and in 1997 it was finally automated.

PC: Island Visions Photography