St Catherine's Oratory PO38 2JB
Free for Everyone
Open: Seasonal - See website
Reviews: 0

About:
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.
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.

Dog Friendly:
Dogs on leads are welcome.

Entry Charge:
Free for everyone (see website)

Parking:
There is a car park opposite the access path to the oratory which is not managed by English Heritage.

Facilities:
During the summer season, refreshments can be purchased in the car park.

Notes:
The oratory is a 400-metre (440-yard) walk across fields, parts of which may be uneven. Entry to the field from the car park is via a steep staircase.
Farm livestock may be present in the fields around the oratory.

Contact:
Website: www.english-heritage.org.uk
Tel: 0370 3331181