| Where: | Abbostbury, Dorset at Strangways Village Hall and St Catherine's Chapel |
| When: | Sunday near 25th November |
| Time: | Strangways Hall for Candles Bags from 1.15, Choir in Chapel 3pm, Candles on the Hill afternoon and evening |
The medieval hilltop chapel situated on the summit of the hill at Abbotsbury in Dorset is dedicated to St Catherine of Alexandria, who was famously martyred on a cartwheel, giving her name to the popular revolving firework. Her feast day falls on 25th November each year and on the Sunday nearest to this date, the hillside is brought alive with candles lighting the way up the path to the chapel and in the form of a Catherine wheel on the slope below. The chapel was built by the monks from Abbotsbury Abbey as a place of pilgrimage and reflection, and is now in the care of English Heritage. The views are tremendous but it’s a windy spot, so the locals cunningly devised a way of keeping the lights anchored and lit: they provide paper candle bags weighted with sand in which the battery powered lights can withstand the blast and remain in place. The bags are available in advance from local shops and on the day at Strangways Hall in the village, where they can be decorated before being placed upon the hill, joining the many already crafted by children at the local schools. Frenchays choir entertain the throng with a wide variety of songs, exquisitely performed inside the chapel during the afternoon; the barrel vaulted ceiling provides marvellous acoustics for their a Capella performance, before dusk falls and the hillside is illuminated.
Helpful Hints
In 2025 it was on Sunday 23rd November – 2026 date is yet to be confirmed but likely to be 22nd.
In cases of extreme weather the choir perform in Strangways Hall.
There’s a handy car park in the heart of the village on Rodden Row, and the village shop was open all afternoon when we visited. The candle bags cost £2 in 2025- they can de decorated in Strangways Village Hall, then everyone follows the footpath up the hill to the chapel; candles and sand are provided by stewards en route- admission to the Chapel is free . The hill is steep and has a few steps near the top; we recommend walking boots or similar sturdy footwear (and take care to avoid the cowpats!).
Click here for the web page: https://www.abbotsbury.co.uk/candles-on-st-catherines-hill/
and here for the Village website: https://www.abbotsbury.co.uk
Click here for the local Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064572434636
Click here for the English Heritage page about the Chapel: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/abbotsbury-st-catherines-chapel/history/
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