The stone-vaulted chapel Abbotsbury's monks built for pilgrims still stands alone on its hilltop above Chesil Beach
Open accessfree to visit at any reasonable time
Substantial ruinsruined, but plenty survives above ground
High on Chapel Hill above Abbotsbury stands the pilgrim chapel monks from Abbotsbury Abbey built in the late 14th century as a retreat for prayer. It is raised from local limestone, with tall buttressed walls thick enough to support a stone vault instead of a timber roof, and most of the structure survives intact today. An octagonal turret at one corner rises above the roofline to a small room at the top, which later held a light for passing ships, likely kept burning there after the abbey itself had closed. Local women used to climb up and pray to St Catherine for a husband at the south door, kneeling to fit a knee and both hands into three carved ‘wishing holes’ in the stonework there. There’s no ticket and nothing to stop you going inside; climb up from the village and you’ll get a wide view over Chesil Beach and the Fleet below.
