Day Mark – St Martin’s – Isles of Scilly
St Martin’s Day Mark was built in 1683 as an aid to navigation but as it was painted white, ships tended to run aground even faster. They aimed for the mark thinking it was a lighthouse and sank amidst the dangerous offshore reef. Ouch!
The Day Mark was built as an aid to navigation in 1683. It was built by Thomas Ekins the first steward of the Godophin Family to live on the islands. Ekins encouraged the resettlement of St. Martins from the 1680s. It is the earliest surviving dated example of a beacon in the British Isles. It was painted white until 1822 but by 1833 had been painted red, and is now painted in bands of red and white
Day Mark was then painted red and white.
It takes a photo with a person standing next to it to come to terms with the sheer size of that thing.
5 Comments
Beautiful shots. Regards Stef
Bedank 🙂
Btw I tried to reciprocate on your site but could leave no likes nor comments. Maybe it needs mending.
Hi, yup… I have Some problems with the comments section😕… Some followers can comment, others not. Thanks for the feedback. Regards Stef
You’re so right that a person is needed for scale, Yann — I imagined it a bit like one of those bollards one sees along the streets in Paris, until I saw the person standing next to it. Extraordinary! Gorgeous photos, too.
Thanks for your comment Heide. Indeed it’s a nice trick I learned from one of Scott Kelby’s books.