Our Building
62 Crocker Street, Newport
The History of Our Building
The Lighthouse Clinic is proud to be based at 62 Crocker Street, Newport, a beautiful Grade II listed building at the heart of the Isle of Wight. Since 2016, this historic property has been home to our CQC-registered clinic, carefully refurbished to a high clinical standard while preserving its original character and heritage.
Our building has served the people of Newport for over 250 years, as a school, a war memorial nursing home, a probation service and now a healthcare clinic. Above our doorway stands one of Newport’s most loved historic figures: Blue Jenny.
Blue Jenny and The Blue School (1761–1907)
In 1761, a Newport tradesman named Benjamin Cooke founded the Blue School to educate girls from poor families. Originally based in Lugley Street, and later moved to 62 Crocker Street, the school provided young girls with a basic education in reading, writing, sewing and domestic skills.
The girls wore distinctive blue dresses with white aprons and bonnets, earning them the nickname “Blue Jennies”. They typically attended between the ages of 8 and 14, before entering domestic service on the Island. Upon leaving, each girl was given a Bible and a penny, symbols of faith and thrift.
In a niche above the entrance to 62 Crocker Street stands a wooden figure known locally as “Blue Jenny”, representing one of these pupils. Dressed in her blue uniform, Bible in one hand and penny in the other, she has watched over Crocker Street for generations.
The original carving was created in the late 1800s by local antique dealer William Ledicott. Built from wooden planks, plaster, netting wire and even an old ship’s figurehead, she was an imaginative and much-loved piece of folk art.
After suffering years of weather damage, the original Blue Jenny was removed for safekeeping and is now housed at Carisbrooke Castle Museum. In 1980, thanks to public subscription and the efforts of the Newport Group of the Isle of Wight Society, sculptor Norman Gaches carved a faithful replica which still stands above our entrance today.
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A War Memorial Nursing Home (1921)
Following the First World War, the building entered a new and deeply significant chapter.
The Newport Borough War Memorial was funded by public subscription, with around 1,500 local residents contributing. A surplus from the fund was used to purchase the former Blue School building to create the Newport War Memorial Nursing Home.
The premises were opened in 1921 by Lady Seely as a nursing home run by the Newport District Nursing Association. A memorial tablet to the right of our entrance still records this history and commemorates those who fell in the Great War (1914–1918).
The inscription reads: “These premises were purchased as a War Memorial Home to perpetuate the memory of those who fell in the Great War A.D. 1914–1918. ‘They passed out of sight by the path of sacrifice and the gate of death.’” The transformation from school to nursing home marked the building’s long-standing connection with healthcare and community service, a tradition we are proud to continue today.
Later Years and Restoration
After its time as a nursing home, 62 Crocker Street was later used by the Isle of Wight Probation Service.
In 2016, The Lighthouse Clinic acquired the building and undertook extensive refurbishment and renovation works. Great care was taken to preserve original architectural features in keeping with its Grade II listed status, while ensuring the premises met modern clinical and Care Quality Commission (CQC) standards.
Today, the building combines historic charm with a calm, professional healthcare environment, honouring its past while serving the present.
