St Catherine's Oratory

With the Isle of Wight been so small we aimed to go visit every point of it! So thanks to google we found St Catherine's Oratory, which is on the southernmost point of the Isle. . And with a comment like this "A walk up to St. Catherine’s Oratory on the Isle of Wight will reward you with stunning views of both the sea and the countryside" Who could resist that? Certainly not me!!

Built in the 14th century, high on a hill overlooking Chale Bay on the Isle of Wight, St Catherine’s Oratory is the stuff of colourful legend involving the Lord of the Manor.

Known locally as the ‘Pepperpot’

The National Trust website says of the history of the Oratory:

In 1313, a ship (the St Mary of Bayonne) was blown off-course and ran aground on the treacherous Atherfield Ledge in Chale Bay. Its cargo of white wine, destined for a French monastery, was sold illegally by the sailors to local people. Many barrels found their way into the cellars of Walter de Godeton, Lord of the Manor of Chale.

The ship came from Gascony, part of King Edward II’s kingdom. The incident was brought to his notice and Walter de Godeton appeared before an ecclesiastical court and was heavily fined. Unfortunately for de Godeton, the Pope heard of the incident and, to avoid excommunication, de Godeton was ordered to build an oratory and beacon on Chale Down (now St Catherine’s Hill) as penance. A priest would tend the light to guide ships and say prayers for the souls of the drowned – at de Godeton’s expense.

There is a small, free, viewpoint car park at the foot of the hill where the Oratory stands. You cross over the road and climb a set of stairs into a field. The Oratory is located approximately 1/4 of mile across the field which is quite steep but the views are most certainly worth it!

St Catherine's Down rises to 240 meters at its highest point. About halfway up the "pepperpot's" hat starts to peak over the summit.

At this point you're starting to feel the burn as the hill is quite steep but that is just an excuse to stop admire the views. The day we choose to go was warm but overcast with the sun trying to escape every now and again, making the views quite misty looking.

Thorough a wooden gate and you see the Oratory in all its glory.

Though another gate is the sumits "tag" point. You can't go to the top of a hill without having a photo to prove you got to the top!

The views were just beautiful. You could see every point of the Isle and even see Portsmouth's Spinnaker Tower!

A panorama view at the top.

Portsmouth's Spinnaker Tower is visible through the haze.

The Oratory is Britain's only surviving medieval lighthouse though obviously no longer in operation as it was replaced by the current St Catherine's lighthouse after another wreck in 1837. This one was built much closer to the see at St Catherine's point.

After a fair few moments admiring the view, we headed back the way we come to the car. It was a short walk with gorgeous views and it was free which always a bonus. All it needed was an ice cream van in the car park that would have ended the walk perfectly.

As always thank you for reading.

x