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St. Catherine's Lighthouse
St Catherine's Lighthouse is a lighthouse located at St Catherine's Point at the southern tip of the Isle of Wight. It is one of the oldest lighthouse locations in Great Britain. Origins The first lighthouse was established on St Catherine's Down in 1323 on the orders of the Pope, after a ship ran aground nearby and its cargo was either lost or plundered. Once part of St Catherine's Oratory, its octagonal stone tower can still be seen today on the hill to the west of Niton. It is known locally as the "Pepperpot". Nearby there are the footings of a replacement lighthouse begun in 1785, but this was never completed because the hill is prone to dense fog. It is sometimes called the "salt pot". History The new lighthouse, built by Trinity House in 1838, was constructed as a stone tower. When first built the light was oil-fuelled; its lamp, with four concentric wicks, was set within a large (first-order) fixed dioptric lens, built by Cookson & co. and surmounted by 250 mi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
St Catherine's Point
St Catherine's Point is the southernmost point on the Isle of Wight. It is close to the village of Niton and the point where the Back of the Wight changes to the Undercliff of Ventnor. On nearby St Catherine's Down is St Catherine's Oratory, locally known as the "Pepperpot", a stone lighthouse built in the 1323 by Walter De Godeton. It is Britain's oldest medieval lighthouse. Reportedly, de Godeton felt guilty for having scavenged wine, destined for a monasteryJ.C Medland "Shipwrecks of the Wight".Coach House Publications ltd, 2004 from the wreck of the ''St Marie'' of Bayonne in Chale Bay. He was ordered, on pain of excommunication, to make amends 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 demolished. There is a Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the us ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
