Haunted Hosts

The Wight Mouse Inn holds extraordinary historical significance as both a traditional coaching inn and a tragic memorial to maritime disaster. Originally known as The Clarendon Hotel, this 17th-century establishment was dramatically renamed after one of the Isle of Wight's most devastating shipwrecks. On 11th October 1836, the merchant vessel Clarendon, departing from St. Kitts with a cargo of rum, sugar, molasses, coconuts, peppers and cedar, was caught in severe weather and ran aground at 6am broadside on the south-west beach just east of Blackgang Chine. Within ten minutes, the ship broke apart completely. The tragedy claimed 25 lives, with 18 victims buried in nearby Chale churchyard. Most perished entangled in rigging or struck by falling masts. The public outrage following this disaster led directly to the construction of new lighthouses on St. Catherine's Down to prevent future shipwrecks in the treacherous Chale Bay waters. Remarkably, timbers from the wrecked Clarendon were incorporated into the hotel's structure, creating a physical connection between the building and this maritime tragedy. The inn served European royalty and was a favoured destination for Victorian upper classes, cementing its status as a historically significant establishment that bridges both coaching heritage and maritime memorial.