St catherine's hill and oratory

Quarter of a mile east of Blackgang roundabout off the A3055. (view map)
Telephone: None
Website: www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Open: External viewing possible all year round.
Admission: Free

St Catherine's Oratory, the second oldest lighthouse in Britain, crowns the top of the hill.

It was built as a lighthouse by a local landowner, Walter de Godeton, after a notorious wreck in Chale Bay on what was known as Chale Down, now St Catherine's Down, and was maintained by monks who lived in a chapel nearby.

Yet, after Henry VIII's breakaway from the Catholic Church in 1538 and the suppression of the chantries in 1547, the lighthouse was abandoned and the chapel was soon in ruins. Little remains of the chapel today, yet the Oratory itself remains intact.

A path leads to the summit of St Catherine's Hill. Walk the impressive ridge towards the Hoy Monument situated at the northern end of the ridge. Return paths at the foot of the ridge on both the east and west side of the Down.

St Catherine's Hill and Oratory are owned by the National Trust.