Isle of Wight - Part 8: Niton Smugglers' Trail and a Walk to the "Pepperpot"

 

Niton Smugglers' Trail

D and I were thrilled to find out that Niton had its own smuggling trail.  One evening we visited a few of the local places on the map which were near the cottage.  We did plan to visit a few more on the last morning of the holiday but in the end it was decided we would go straight into Yarmouth. Hopefully, when we next visit we can do more of the trail.

The Isle of Wight's southern coast has many treacherous rock platforms which in centuries past were places that revenue cutters were wary of approaching.  Therefore, any smuggler who knew his way through the rocks was able to smuggle goods into Niton.  There do not appear to have been any large smuggling gangs although some Niton families such as the Wheelers, Willis's and Snuddens were heavily involved and many locals enjoyed the free trade brought in by smugglers.

A local record in the 1830's suggests that most of Niton was involved in smuggling in one way or another. Niton was so important in the trade that it had its own coastguard station and look-out building.  The Trade used 50 ton wherries which sailed at night.

Map of the Trail

St John the Baptist, Niton

Smugglers used empty tombs and special hiding places in churches to hide their contraband.  In 1808 there is a record of a close encounter between the Revenue Men and a group of Niton smugglers led by a Mr. Mussel.  The smugglers saw a warning light in a window of Hervey's Cottage, Church Street, and they hastened quietly to an empty tomb in the north side of the churchyard. They hid in the tomb while revenue patrols hunted unsuccessfully for them.  The smugglers did not realise the patrols had left and so remained in the tomb until dawn.  As they left the tomb a sexton Mr Long arrived for a service and he was horrified by what he saw thinking the dead were rising from the tomb.  He left the churchyard hastily crying out that the Day of Judgement had arrived.  It was quite a while before he could be calmed down!

The Church

The Cheek Mausoleum where the smugglers hid.

Hervey's Cottage is opposite the cottage where we stayed.  I couldn't find a plaque showing its place on the smugglers' trail though. This cottage would shine a light from a small window to warn smugglers that the revenue patrols were about. In 1603 the Snuddens who lived in the cottage were heavily involved in the smuggling trade.  The cottage was later leased to the Willis family (1757-1825) by Lord Edgecombe, Lord of the Manor, and they were keen supporters of the smuggling trade.

The Star Inn

When smuggling was at its height Niton had seven pubs.  Today only the Buddle and White Lion still exist as public houses.

The Star now a private home dates back to c1615.  In July 1837 the innkeeper, a James Hillier, was jailed at Winchester for six years as he had failed to pay a fine after being found guilty of "harbouring". There is a rumour that the pub had a secret second cellar accessed behind a piece of furniture. However, recent renovation work at the house has not found any evidence of this cellar.

The White Lion

The landlord, Thomas Morris, in the 1830's used to go on board ships returning to England to buy goods such as silks, tobacco brandy, tea. By doing this he avoided paying any duty and when he returned to the pub with them he would sell many of the items while sending the brandy down to his cellar.  However, in 1842, he was finally caught and sent to Winchester Gaol.  

St Catherine's Coastguard Station

We didn't actually visit this location in person on this holiday (the photo is from D's coastal walk) although we have been on a tour of the lighthouse on previous visits.  In the C19  this was also a coastguard station which often used a boat to search suspicious vessels.

Again I have "cheated" a bit as these photos are from a past visit to the Buddle Inn.

The Buddle was a popular unlicensed drinking house from around the 1550's and only gained a licence in 1859!  The pub has always been linked to tales about smugglers and smuggling.

I would love to know if the cottage we stayed in was involved in the smugglers' trade. Although a book I bought D for his birthday on Smugglers' Pubs of the Isle of Wight suggests that our cottage was one of those that shone a light out of a window if customs officers were about. So it is possible it was involved.

On the final evening at the cottage D and E decided to walk from Niton to St Catherine's Oratory on St Catherine's Down.  It was a long steep walk and took over 2 hours there and back.  I didn't go with them - too far for me! although I did visit the Oratory on our last holiday there where I took a shorter but very steep route from the nearby viewpoint car park.

So a few photos from their walk.

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Nearly there!

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There are wonderful views from the top of the Down.

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St Catherine's Oratory (known locally as The Pepperpot) - a medieval lighthouse.

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The tower is all that remains of an oratory built c1328.  In 1313 Walter de Godeton, Lord of Chale, stole wine from a shipwreck in Chale Bay.  The wine originally came from a monastery and he was fined and threatened with ex-communication unless he built an oratory with a beacon on St Catherine's Down.  He paid a priest to keep the light going and to say masses for the souls of those drowned in the shipwreck. With the Dissolution of the Monasteries around 1538 the oratory was no longer used although the beacon continued to be lit until the C17th.

The Pepperpot is a 4 storey octagonal structure with 8 windows at the top for the lantern.

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In the photo of this view I think you can make out the Spinnaker Tower at Portsmouth in the centre of the picture.

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Return Journey

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E had thought she had spotted a badger one night in a field near the cottage but wasn't sure so as they walked back she was thrilled to see one run down the road from this sett.

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Finally, the jigsaw D completed during the holiday.

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The penultimate post from the holiday will be about our visit to the pretty village of Brighstone including a trip to the church and the Dragon Tree followed by a pub meal at The Wight Mouse in Chale.

Reference: The Niton Smugglers'  Trail leaflet

English Heritage website page on St Catherine's Oratory

All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera and those marked *D taken by my son with the Canon SX50HS bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one of mine or my son's I would be grateful for an email first - thanks.

Isle of Wight - Part 7: Godshill Village and All Saints Church or the Church of the Lily Cross

 

On the Wednesday we visited Godshill.  Godshill is exceedingly picturesque but it does get busy and in my view is a bit too touristy!

The Old Smithy with wishing well and stocks.

I spy a sign to the church which I really wanted to revisit. B and E didn't fancy the steep walk up the hill so D and I went on our own.

 

This is one of the classic views of Godshill to the side of the church - shame about the cars!  I don't know for certain but I suspect the cottages are holiday lets.

Into the churchyard.

The church tower is a landmark for miles around and holds the dubious record of being the tower most often struck by lightning in the whole of the country.  

I've cheated a bit here as I forgot to take photos of the whole church so the next two photos are from my previous visit.

The church at Godshill is dedicated to All Saints but it is also known as the Church of the Lily Cross because of the unique medieval mural on the East wall of the South Transept.  The first church built here was in the reign of Edward the Confessor (between 1042 and 1066). Nothing remains of this church and very little of the Norman church that superseded it.  The present building dates from the C14th.

The church is the largest pre-Reformation church on the island being 90 foot long and 60 foot wide across the transepts.

There is a charming legend concerning the building of the original church.  Missionaries originally began to build a church three miles south of the village that exists today.  However, they found on several mornings that the stones they had laid the day before had been removed overnight to the present location of the church.  After the third occasion they took the decision to build the church where the stones had been place i.e. on God's Hill.

C18th sundial

Restored C15th stone cross

I wished I had had more time to explore the churchyard - the views from it are wonderful.

D was not very happy that I wanted to go in the church so yet again it was a very quick whizz round in about 10 minutes :( As usual I missed many important features :(

Church interior - there are two naves and two chancels.

The organ is 150 years old and contains some C18th pipes.

I couldn't find any information on the age of the font. Although I should perhaps have read or taken a photo of the leaflet on it which had the title "Frequently Asked Questions"

Royal Arms Queen Anne 1707

Statues on the Rood

Consecration Cross

One of the chancels

I couldn't find any information on the stained glass.

East Window

Leigh Monument

Monument to  Sir John Leigh (died 1529) and his wife Agnes, ancestors of the Worsleys of Apperdulcombe.  A canopied tomb made of Caen Stone.  It was difficult to get a photo due to the presence of the altar!  I am not tall enough to get decent photos of the effigies so I missed the small figures of two hooded bedesmen between them.

Monument to Sir James Worsley (son in law of Sir John Leigh) (died 1538) and his wife Anne (died 1557).  There are two kneeling figures at desks facing East.

Again it was hard to get a decent photo.  

Fragment of a wall painting

This is the Lily Cross which gives the church its other name.  Again hard to get photo as it is behind railings and I think that area of the church has an alarm!  It is a painting of the Crucifixion with Christ shown crucified on a cross of three branches and each branch is divided at the top into another three.

Many of the old gravestones in churchyards were covered in lichens.

D and I went back into the main village to look for B and E.

Wesleyan Chapel from 1838

We eventually found them and decided to go for a cream tea.

D's looked delicious - he had a savoury cream tea.

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We had a very quick look round the shops - the only things I bought were a fossil of a fern which D wanted for his birthday and I treated myself to a little jug covered with painted umbellifers to take to the caravan to use as a vase.

Plants in Walls - Hottentot Fig again!

This is the Old Smithy garden

In the evening we had a small barbecue.

In the next post I will write about the Smugglers' Trail in Niton - D and I did the local part of it one evening and also a few photos from D and E's walk another evening up onto St Catherine's Down to see St Catherine's Oratory also known as "The Pepperpot" which is a medieval lighthouse.

Reference:

"Buildings of England Isle of Wight" by David W Lloyd and Nikolaus Pevsner, Yale University Press, 2006

All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera and those marked *D taken by my son with the Canon SX 50HS bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one of mine or my son's I would be grateful for an email first - thanks).