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ST CATHERINES ORATORY

ALTERNATIVE NAME:

THE PEPPERPOT

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A medieval lighthouse forming the west tower of an oratory, and the remains of the oratory, set within a medieval enclosure on St Catherine's Hill. The lighthouse survives as a stone tower (known as the Pepperpot), octagonal on the outside and square within, originally consisting of four stories. Eight windows on the third floor form the lantern. The lighthouse, which formed the western tower of the oratory, is all that survives of the original building. However, the remains of the walls are visible as earthworks forming three sides of a square with the lighthouse on the open, west side. The oratory walls are about 12 metres apart and survive to a height of one metre. Partial excavations in 1891 revealed the building plan. The lighthouse was completed by 1328. It was built 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 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 tower's arched door-heads suggest it was substantially repaired in the mid 16th century, possibly with the threat of the Spanish Armada. The duties were apparently carried out until the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Surrounding the lighthouse and oratory on their north, west and south sides is a bank about 0.5 metres high and 5 metres wide. It is likely that the fourth side of this enclosure has been levelled by cultivation. The oratory is in the care of English Heritage.

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(SZ 49367728) St. Catherine's Tower (G.T.) (1)

In the early 14th century, Walter de Godeton built an oratory and a lighthouse either on the site of an earlier chapel or hermitage, mentioned in 1312, or nearer the sea. A chantry priest was installed here. Of the oratory, only the lighthouse remains though the chapel is shown standing in a survey of 1566. It had certainly ceased to exist by the 18th century, as only the tower is shown in a print of that date Towards the end of that century it was substantially repaired.

An enclosing turf wall is probably contemporary with the building and is shown on the Elizabethan survey. (2-4)

Scheduled Ancient Monument. (5)

The tower of dressed, coursed stone, is 12 metres high and well-preserved.
Surrounding the tower on the north, south and west, is a low bank, averaging 0.6 metres high, and 5 metres wide with no apparent ditch, and probably contemporary with the tower. On the east a more recent boundary bank has replaced the original bank. Possibly one of the small class of beacon chapels noted by Hemp. (6-7)

No change: earthworks surveyed at 1/2500. (8)

St. Catherine's Oratory D.O.E. notice board. (9)

Without doubt the best example of a medieval lanterned lighthouse in Britain and possibly the world. (10)

Grade 1 Listed. (11)

In 1314, the 'Ste Marie' of Bayonne, laden with wine was wrecked on Atherfield Ledge, and the wine siezed by Walter de Gadeton and other landowners. Both church and state condemned the siezure and Walter was ordered to build the lighthouse as pennance for sacrilege as the wine was the property of the Monastery of Livers in Picardy. (12)

A medieval lighthouse forming the west tower of an oratory, and the remains of the oratory, set within a medieval enclosure on St Catherine's Hill. The lighthouse survives as a stone structure, octagonal on the outside and square within, originally consisting of four stories. The lighthouse, which formed the western tower of the oratory is all that survives of the original building. However, the remains of the walls, are visible as earthworks forming three sides of a square with the lighthouse on the open, west, side. The oratory walls are about 12 metres apart and survive to a height of one metre. Partial excavations in 1891 revealed the building plan. The lighthouse was completed by 1328. It was built by Walter de Godeton, a local landowner, who was condemned by the Church for stealing casks of wine from a shipwreck which had occured in 1314 off Chale Bay. 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 Dissolution of the Monastries. Surrounding the lighthouse and oratory on their north, west and south sides is an bank about 0.5 metres high and 5 metres wide. It is likely that the fourth side of this enclosure has been levelled by cultivation. (13-14)

A brief history and description. (15)

Additional information. (16)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1909

( 2) General reference

Stone PG. 1891. Architectural Antiquities of the Isle of Wight, Pt. II, 27-9 Plate LXXIX

( 3) The Gentleman's Magazine

27 Page(s)176

( 4) General reference

Winch. Reg. Bish. Woodlock

( 5) Externally held archive reference

MS List, Carisbrooke Castle Museum. W.W. 5.4.55

( 6) Field Investigators Comments

F1 WCW 05-APR-55

( 7) Archaeologia Cambrensis

W Hemp 7TH SERIES: 2, 1922 Page(s)431

( 8) Field Investigators Comments

F2 ASP 18-OCT-1967

( 9) Large Scale / Small Scale Map Revisers Comment

L.Rowe, L.S.Reviser. 27.7.76

( 10) by Douglas B Hague and Rosemary Christie 1975 Lighthouses : their architecture, history and archaeology

Page(s)90-1

( 11) List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest

Isle of Wight, AUG-1960 Page(s)28

( 12) Proceedings of the Isle of Wight Natural History and Archaeological Society

4, 1951 Page(s)199-201

( 13) Scheduled Monument Notification

01-NOV-1994

( 14) List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest

Isle of Wight, 22-NOV-1993 1353 Page(s)45

(15) English Heritage 2005 Heritage Unlocked: London and the South East

Page(s)88-89

(16) E Newbery 1987 St Catherine's Oratory: a handbook for teachers

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