St Catherine's Down
Encyclopedia
St. Catherine's Down is a chalk
down
on the Isle of Wight
. It is located close to St Catherine's Point
, the southernmost point on the island, and rises to 240 metres at its highest point, between the towns of Niton
and Chale
.
At the peak of the hill is St. Catherine's Oratory, locally known as the "Pepperpot", a stone lighthouse built in the 14th century by Walter De Godeton. It is the second oldest lighthouse in the British Islands. Only the Roman-built lighthouse at Dover
is older.
Reportedly, de Godeton was found guilty for having scavenged wine, belonging to the Church, from the wreck of the St. Marie of Bayonne in Chale Bay
. He was ordered to make amends, under threat of excommunication by building this lighthouse. Fires were lit in the lighthouse tower to warn ships at sea of the presence of the coast.
There was an attached chapel at one time, but it has been long since demolished. There is a Bronze Age barrow nearby which was excavated in the 1920s.
A replacement lighthouse was begun in 1785, but was never completed. Locally this half finished building is known as the "salt pot".
St. Catherine's Point is often foggy, so it is not the best location for a lighthouse. There is a lighthouse built after the wreck of the Clarendon in 1837 to the west of Niton
at the foot of the Undercliff.
The northern end of St. Catherine's Down is host to the Hoy Monument. The Hoy Monument was created by Michael Hoy in 1814 to commemorate the visit of the Russian Tsar to Great Britain. There is an 1857 plaque at the base of the Hoy Monument that commemorates the soldiers killed in the Crimean War
. The Hoy Monument was repaired in 1992 at a cost of £85,000, which was donated.
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
down
Downland
A downland is an area of open chalk hills. This term is especially used to describe the chalk countryside in southern England. Areas of downland are often referred to as Downs....
on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
. It is located close to St Catherine's Point
St Catherine's Point
St. Catherine's Point is the southernmost point on the Isle of Wight. It is located close to the village of Niton and the point where the Back of the Wight changes to the Undercliff of Ventnor....
, the southernmost point on the island, and rises to 240 metres at its highest point, between the towns of Niton
Niton, Isle of Wight
Niton is a village on the Isle of Wight, near Ventnor with a thriving population of 1142, supporting two pubs, several churches,a pottery workshop/shop, a pharmacy and 3 local shops including a post office...
and Chale
Chalé
Chalé is a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Minas Gerais. The city belongs to the mesoregion of Zona da Mata and to the microregion of Manhuaçu.-See also:* List of municipalities in Minas Gerais-References:...
.
At the peak of the hill is St. Catherine's Oratory, locally known as the "Pepperpot", a stone lighthouse built in the 14th century by Walter De Godeton. It is the second oldest lighthouse in the British Islands. Only the Roman-built lighthouse at Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
is older.
Reportedly, de Godeton was found guilty for having scavenged wine, belonging to the Church, from the wreck of the St. Marie of Bayonne in Chale Bay
Chale Bay
Chale Bay is a bay on the south west coast of the Isle of Wight, England. It lies to the west of the village of Chale from which it takes its name. It faces south west towards the English Channel, its shoreline is 5km in length and is gently curving. It stretches from Artherfield Point in the north...
. He was ordered to make amends, under threat of excommunication by building this lighthouse. Fires were lit in the lighthouse tower to warn ships at sea of the presence of the coast.
A replacement lighthouse was begun in 1785, but was never completed. Locally this half finished building is known as the "salt pot".
St. Catherine's Point is often foggy, so it is not the best location for a lighthouse. There is a lighthouse built after the wreck of the Clarendon in 1837 to the west of Niton
Niton, Isle of Wight
Niton is a village on the Isle of Wight, near Ventnor with a thriving population of 1142, supporting two pubs, several churches,a pottery workshop/shop, a pharmacy and 3 local shops including a post office...
at the foot of the Undercliff.
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
. The Hoy Monument was repaired in 1992 at a cost of £85,000, which was donated.