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 John XXII, 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, Isle of Wight, 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 Fresnel lens, first-order) fixed Fre ...
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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 13