Discover the wartime tragedy and enduring ghost stories of St Catherine’s Lighthouse on the Isle of Wight, where keepers are said to remain on duty long after death
On the southern tip of the Isle of Wight stands St Catherine’s Lighthouse, a tall white tower looking out over the English Channel.
Built in the 1840s after a terrible shipwreck, it has guided sailors for nearly two centuries.
But the lighthouse is also remembered for a wartime tragedy – and the ghosts said to linger there ever since.
Visitors tell of keepers still going about their duties long after death, lanterns appearing in empty rooms, and even the sound of a faithful dog padding through the night.
History of St Catherine’s Lighthouse
The lighthouse was established in 1840, following the wreck of the Clarendon in 1836.
Positioned at the tip of Niton Undercliff, it became a vital beacon for ships sailing the busy Channel routes.
During WW2, tragedy struck.
On 1 June 1943, a German bombing raid hit the engine house directly.
Three lighthouse keepers – Reginald Grenfell, Charles Tompkins, and William Jones – were killed instantly.
Remarkably, the tower survived, its light continuing to shine even through the chaos.
Automated in 1997, the lighthouse is still active today.
But some say its old crew never left.
Ghostly Keepers on Duty
Ever since the bombing, visitors and staff have reported strange experiences at St Catherine’s.
Figures in uniform have been seen walking the grounds, carrying lanterns, or appearing briefly at the tower door before vanishing.
In one story, a tourist in the 1950s claimed he had been shown around by a polite man in a cap – only to discover later that no staff were on duty that day.
Others have reported poltergeist-like activity – tools moved or rearranged, objects disappearing only to reappear in odd places, as if unseen hands were still keeping order.
There are even tales of a ghostly dog, believed to have belonged to one of the keepers killed in 1943.
Its footsteps and low growls are sometimes heard in the cottages beside the tower.
Rather than malevolent, these hauntings are often described as calm and dutiful – the spirits of men who died in service, still tending the light as they always had.
Visiting St Catherine’s Lighthouse
The lighthouse stands in a dramatic spot near Niton, accessible by footpaths along the cliffs.
Though automated, the site occasionally opens for tours, and a plaque on the wall commemorates the three men who died during the air raid.
Even from outside, it is a striking sight – the white tower rising above the sea, its beam sweeping out into the night.
Many visitors speak of a hushed, watchful atmosphere, as if the keepers are still close by.
St Catherine’s Lighthouse is a place where history and haunting blend.
The wartime tragedy that struck here left its mark, and stories of keepers still walking the grounds suggest their devotion to duty never ended.
So if you pause by the tower on a quiet evening, and see a lantern glow moving across the darkened path, you may be glimpsing the keepers of 1943 – still on watch, long after the war ended.
Have you ever visited St Catherine’s or felt the presence of its ghostly keepers? Share your story in the comments below.
My uncle and aunt encountered dark shadows next to the lighthouse which may have been ghosts of the smugglers and shipwrecks. I remember them telling me about it and how scared they were as they walked quickly back!