Stunning images of the world's historic attractions in 2020
History captured

These shortlisted and winning images from the 2020 Historic Photographer of the Year awards feature everything from spooky shipwrecks and abandoned buildings to awe-inspiring places of worship and modern architecture showcased in a different light. See what inspiring photos judges picked as winners this year.
Restormel Castle, Cornwall, England, UK

Heddal Stave Church, Notodden, Norway

Badbury Rings, Dorset, England, UK

Ripon Cathedral, Ripon, England, UK

St Catherine's Oratory, Isle of Wight, England, UK

The ruins of Hadleigh Castle, Essex, England, UK

Happisburgh Lighthouse, North Norfolk, England, UK

St Basil's Cathedral, Moscow, Russia

One of the world's most beautiful cathedrals, the Orthodox church located in Moscow's Red Square is a monument of Russian architecture. The photo shows cadets of one of the Moscow military universities participating in the reconstruction of the October Revolution Parade on 7 November 1941, before the decisive battles for Moscow.
Church of the Good Shepherd, Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

Vicar's Close, Wells, England, UK

Claimed to be the oldest residential street that's survived intact in Europe, Vicar's Close was built in the 14th century for those who worked in the Wells Cathedral next door. This HDR picture was taken in August 2020, on a particularly rainy and wet day, so the picturesque street is nearly empty.
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Taj Mahal, Agra, India

Douaumont Ossuary, Douaumont, France

Downhill House, Co. Londonderry, Northern Ireland, UK

An 18th-century mansion, Downhill House was built for Frederick Hervey the 4th Earl of Bristol. Destroyed by fire in 1851 and rebuilt in 1870, the mansion fell into disrepair after the Second World War. In the picture, if you look to the right, you can see Comet NEOWISE shining over the ruins.
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Deserted farmhouse, Wales, UK

Braich Goch slate mine, Wales, UK

Whitby Abbey, Whitby, England, UK

West Pier, Whitby, England, UK

One of the two Whitby piers that have been existence in some shape or form since the 1500s, the West Pier is photographed here deserted in the early hours of the morning. "I had to wait for two workmen who had just been replacing one of the old rotten boards with a chainsaw, hence the covering of sawdust on the floor. It got me thinking about how many thousands of people have walked across these rickety boards to see the views, go fishing and to help people in need," photographer James Smith said.
Tilla-Kari Medressa, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Taj Mahal, Agra, India

Dovercourt Lighthouse, Essex, England, UK

Rievaulx Abbey, North Yorkshire, England, UK

Cube Houses, Rotterdam, Netherlands

History doesn't necessarily have to be hundreds of years old and the Cube Houses in Rotterdam are a pioneering example of modern historic architecture and incorporate what were, at the time (in the 1970s and 80s), some incredibly ambitious design elements.
Casa Milà (La Pedrera), Barcelona, Spain

Old School House, Tyneham, England, UK

The wreck of SS Denham, North Wirral, England, UK

Strasbourg Cathedral, France

An impressive structure looming over the French city of Strasbourg, the Strasbourg Cathedral is widely considered to be among the finest examples of Rayonnant Gothic architecture. The night when it was photographed, a heavy fog had descended upon the city, creating a mysterious atmosphere.
Wheal Betsy, Dartmoor, England, UK

Taj Mahal, Agra, India

Another spectacular shot of Taj Mahal, here photographer Markus Korenjak has captured the crowds taking photos of the famous sight.
Abandoned fisherman's hut, Northumberland, England, UK

Avebury, Wiltshire, England, UK

St Thomas Becket Church, Fairfield, England, UK

The Maunsell Forts, Thames Estuary, England, UK

Forth Bridge, North Queensferry, Scotland, UK

Calanais Standing Stones, Isle of Lewis, Scotland, UK

Kelenföld Power Station, Budapest, Hungary

A wreck on the shore of Loch Linnhe, Scotland, UK

The wreck of SS Turkia, Red Sea

Lost in May 1941 in the Gulf of Suez, the SS Turkia was one of the ships that didn't survive the long route through South Africa to the southern Red Sea as the Strait of the Gibraltar was blocked during the Second World War. Several ships rest at the bottom of the sea and only a few divers visit these wrecks.
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Sutton Scarsdale Hall, Derbyshire, England, UK

Great Pyramids of Giza, Cairo, Egypt

Here, skydivers are captured in an incredible moment when the shadow of The Great Pyramid creates the shape of Horus, the Egyptian god of kingship and the sky.
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Poulnabrone Dolmen, Co. Clare, Ireland

The unusually large dolmen (megalithic tomb) is photographed here at sunset. Ireland's most famous and the most photographed dolmen, it's situated on one of the most desolate and highest points of the region and comprises three standing portal stones supporting a heavy horizontal capstone.
Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire, England

St Edward’s Church, Stow-on-the-Wold, England, UK

This medieval church located in the charming Cotswolds village of Stow-on-the-Wold, looks particularly magical in this photo thanks to the overgrown greenery.
Fluorspar mine, Derbyshire, England, UK

Ladybower Reservoir plug hole, Derbyshire, England, UK

Everton Library, Liverpool, England, UK

Tiger's Nest, Bhutan

Clinging to the edge of a cliff with panoramic views over the Paro valley in Bhutan, the Buddhist monastery of Paro Taktsang – also known as Tiger’s Nest Temple – is a sight to behold. Built in the 17th century, the sky-high temple rises a perilous 9,843 feet (3,000m) above the valley floor.
Calanais Standing Stones, Isle of Lewis, Scotland, UK

Here the mystical Calanais Standing Stones are photographed during sunrise with morning frost covering the ground just a few days before the Winter Solstice.
All Saints Church, Saxton, England, UK

Penshaw Monument, Sunderland, England, UK

St Anthony's Church, Montserrat, British Overseas Territory

Whittingham Hospital, Lancashire, England, UK

Opened in 1873 and once regarded as one of the largest mental asylums in Europe, Whittingham was home for around 3,500 patients and pioneered the use of electroencephalograms (EEGs). Improvements in mental health research, plus allegations of cruelty to patients, led to the demise of the mental hospital and it was eventually closed in 1995. Demolished in 2016, the building is captured in its final days here.
Pompeii, Italy

While most photographers focus on the landscape of Pompeii and its perfectly preserved ruins, photographer Laura Hodsdon has focused on the deep groves of the cobbles. "The roads of Pompeii have these deep groves, worn by carts as they went along the streets of the busy town. I wanted to really show how deeply indented they are as well as the detail of the cobbles," she said.
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Citadel of Alessandria, Sardinia, Italy

Palace of Versailles, Versailles, France

Famously the one-time residence of Marie Antoinette, the Palace of Versailles (or Château de Versailles) near Paris is well renowned for its opulence and extravagance and none of its features is more famous than the jaw-dropping Hall of Mirrors, captured here in a fleeting moment.
Bedham Church, West Sussex, England, UK

Hashima Island, Nagasaki, Japan

Acquired by Mitsubishi in 1887, the small island sat on top of a coal seam and at its peak was home to a community of over 5,000 residents. When the coal seam was exhausted in 1974, the mine closed and the residents left as suddenly as they had arrived. All that remains today is typhoon-battered landscape and crumbling buildings.
Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy

A bridge has existed here since at least 966, though Ponte Vecchio in Florence has been devastated by flooding twice in its history. It's not clear what year the present construction dates to, but the charm of it lies in the fact that we see it today almost exactly like it was in medieval times.
Where History Happened winner: Apamea, Syria

Captured here before the civil war in Syria, the ancient city of Apamea and its Great Colonnade lie undisturbed in the early hours of the morning. "I felt privileged at the time to have the opportunity to visit Apamea, but even more so since the civil war damaged some of these most impressive monuments," photographer Martin Chamberlain said.
Historic England winner: St Michael's Church, Somerset, England, UK

Captured on a misty winter morning, the beautiful ruin of St Michael's Church on Burrow Mump looks especially ethereal and otherworldly.
Overall winner: Brighton Palace Pier, England, UK

This famous pier on England's south coast screams "British seaside holiday" as much as fish and chips. Upon its completion, the impressive pier was 1,772-feet (540m) long, its wooden expanse strung with thousands of lights and jutting into the chilly English Channel. Photographer Michael Marsh said of his winning photograph: "I always strive to capture this lovely historic seaside town with a sense of the atmosphere and cinematic interpretation that it instils in me."
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