Name: St Catherine's Oratory
Rating: 5.0

St Catherine's Oratory

Blackgang Road, Ventnor, Isle of Wight PO38 2JB, UK

1-99 Years

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Description

St Catherine's Oratory this tall medieval octagonal tower is all that survives of an oratory built here in 1328 as penance by a local landowner, who had plundered church property – casks of white wine – from a ship wrecked nearby.

Affectionately known as the Pepperpot, it seems to have been used as a lighthouse, and stands on one of the highest parts of the Isle of Wight. It is part of the Tennyson Heritage Coast, a series of linked cliff-top monuments. A later lighthouse can be seen nearby.

Free Entry. If you are looking for Best place for day out with kids and families then this is the perfect destination offering fun, adventure, and unforgettable memories for everyone.

Features

Free
Host birthday parties: No

Features

History of St Catherine’s Oratory: St Catherine’s Oratory, which is situated on St Catherine’s Hill, Isle of Wight, overlooking Chale Bay, is the site of a prehistoric burial mound and a small medieval oratory, or chapel, the west tower of which is thought to have been used as a lighthouse.
History: It is likely that the oratory, completed in 1328, was erected by Walter de Godeton, a local landowner who was condemned by the Church for stealing casks of wine from a shipwreck which had occurred in 1314 off Chale Bay.
The ship was one of a fleet carrying a cargo of white wine for the monastery of Livers in Picardy. The Church threatened de Godeton with excommunication unless he built a lighthouse above the scene of the shipwreck, together with an adjoining oratory.
The oratory was to be endowed to maintain a priest to tend the light and to say masses for souls lost at sea. The duties were apparently carried out until the Reformation in the 16th century.
Description of the ‘Pepperpot’ Lighthouse: It is likely that the oratory, completed in 1328, was erected by Walter de Godeton, a local landowner who was condemned by the Church for stealing casks of wine from a shipwreck which had occurred in 1314 off Chale Bay.
The ship was one of a fleet carrying a cargo of white wine for the monastery of Livers in Picardy. The Church threatened de Godeton with excommunication unless he built a lighthouse above the scene of the shipwreck, together with an adjoining oratory.x
The oratory was to be endowed to maintain a priest to tend the light and to say masses for souls lost at sea. The duties were apparently carried out until the Reformation in the 16th century.
Bronze Age Barrow: At a distance of 15 metres (49 feet) to the south-east of the tower is a much earlier monument, a Bronze Age bowl barrow, or burial mound, which was constructed on this hilltop site about 4,000 years ago.
Bowl barrows consisted of a mound of turf, soil or rock, covering one or more burials, and usually surrounded by a circular ditch from which the mound material may have been quarried.

Facilities

Parking: Parking located in a view point car park, not managed by English Heritage, on Blackgang Road (A3055).
Food & Drinks: During the summer season, refreshments can be purchased in the car park.
Dogs: Dogs on leads are welcome.

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Price

Price: Free

Birthday Parties

Offer Birthday Parties: No

Open any reasonable time during daylight hours.

Address: Blackgang Road, Ventnor, Isle of Wight PO38 2JB, UK

Post Code: PO38 2JB

Council: Isle of Wight

County: Isle of Wight

Road Access: East of Blackgang roundabout, off A3055. Approx. 1⁄4 mile ascent across fields.
Bus Access: Southern Vectis service 6 or Island Coaster (Summer) to Blackgang Chine and then 1⁄2 mile walk.
Train Access: Shanklin 9 miles.
Bicycle Access: Find this site on The National Cycle Network.
Ferry Access: West Cowes 14 miles, East Cowes 14 miles (both Red Funnel – Tel: 0870 444 8898); Yarmouth 15 miles (Wightlink – Tel: 0844 844 9988)
Parking: Parking located in a view point car park, not managed by English Heritage, on Blackgang Road (A3055).