Monument record MDO1 - St Catherine's Chapel, Abbotsbury

Chapel situated to the west of St Peter's Abbey and lying beyond the abbey precinct. The chapel was constructed in the late 14th century on the crest of a hill now known as Chapel Hill and was commissioned by either Abbot Henry de Thorpe or Abbot William Cerne. It is built of local stone with heavily buttressed walls and a stone barrel-vaulted ceiling. A roof of Clipsham stone slabs was fitted in 1983 to replace the original stone slabs. The hilltop situation of the chapel typifies the cult of St Catherine, who was widely venerated during the Middle Ages. The chapel was dissolved in 1539 and no longer used for regular ecclesiastical services. However, the structure continued to be maintained and formed a well known local landmark which was also visible from the coast. Repairs were conducted in 1742 and in the late 19th century.

The chapel was built by the Abbey of Abbotsbury late in the 14th century and is substantially unaltered. It was repaired in 1742 and late in the 19th century, and is now in the charge of the Ministry of Works. The building is rectangular, heavily buttressed, with a north and south porch, and a projecting stair turret on the north-west angle. (Full architectural details given). St Catherine's Chapel is now disused. Listed as especially worthy of preservation. <4>

Built mid 15th century and intended no doubt as a Chantry where masses were said for the souls of sailors. <3>

St Catherine's Chapel. Grade I. Rubble and ashlar with slate roof. It has an elaborate stone vaulted roof and north and south porches. Beacon turret. Plain parapet with embattled pinnacles rising from massive buttresses. C.15. A.M. In care of Ministry of Works. <4>

Description in Authority 2 correct. The east window alone retains some tracery. The chapel is situated on a commanding hill overlooking the sea and the turret in the NW angle was possibly used as a beacon tower which strongly suggests that the chapel was, in fact, a Chantry for sailors. Well preserved. <6>

SY 572848. St Catherine's Chapel. <7>

Cooper, T, 1895, Pictoral Guide to Abbotsbury (Monograph). SDO21282.

<1> Shipp, W, and Hodson, J W (eds), 1863, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset. 3rd edition. Volume 2, 721-2 (Monograph). SWX1269.

<2> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1903 (Map). SWX1540.

St Catherine's Chapel (NR)

<3> Moule, Rev W S, 1946, Abbotsbury The Church Abbey and Other Points of Interest (Monograph). SWX1589.

<4> DOE (HRR), 1951, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest: Dorchester Rural District 1951, 1 (Scheduling record). SWX2329.

<5> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 3-4 (Monograph). SDO97.

‘(2) ST. CATHERINE’S CHAPEL (Plate 60) stands on a hill about 700 yards S.W. of the church. The walls are of local rubble and ashlar with dressings of the same material; the roof is covered with stone slabs. It was built by the Abbey of Abbotsbury late in the 14th century and is substantially unaltered. It was repaired in 1742 and again late in the last century; it is now in the charge of the Ministry of Works.
The chapel, now disused, is of much architectural interest and is noteworthy also as exemplifying the cult of St. Catherine.

Architectural Description—The Chapel (41¾ ft. by 14½ ft.) is a heavily buttressed building with a projecting stair-turret on the N.W. angle and N. and S. porches. The buttresses are of three stages and finished with square embattled pedestals; the high parapet is pierced by three segmental-headed openings in each bay of the side walls through which the roof is continued on to the moulded eaves-cornice. The E. window is of three cinque-foiled lights with vertical tracery in a two-centred head with a label with returned stops. In the second bay of the N. wall is a window similar to but smaller than the E. window and of two lights, but the mullion and much of the tracery is missing; the internal recess is carried down to the floor and the rear-arch is moulded; the corresponding window in the S. wall was probably similar but now has much modern repair. The N. and S. doorways both have jambs and two-centred arch of two chamfered orders. In the W. wall is a window similar to those in the side walls and lacking its mullion and tracery. The stair-turret rising above the main parapet is octagonal externally and finished with a projecting parapet; it gave access to the roof but most of the steps have been destroyed. The chapel has a pointed barrel-vault (Plate 61) of stone, springing from moulded cornices and divided into eight main bays by moulded ribs; each bay has two ranges of three panels with cinque-foiled heads; the bosses are carved with foliage, two figure-subjects, a beast and a man's head.

The North Porch has a trefoiled apex-stone to the gable. The two-centred outer archway is of two continuous orders, the outer chamfered and the inner moulded. The pointed barrel-vault of stone has sunk-chamfered ribs.

The South Porch is generally similar but the archway has been much rebuilt. The barrel-vault has lost most of its ribs.

Fittings—Brackets: On E. wall, two square moulded brackets; higher up are two more moulded brackets, that on the S. coupled. Locker: In S. wall, small square recess, probably a locker. Piscina: In S. wall, recess with defaced trefoiled ogee head and cinque-foiled drain in the form of a leaf.’

<6> Swatridge, G C, Various, Field Investigators Comments GCS, F1 GCS 24-MAR-55 (Unpublished document). SWX1169.

<7> Department of the Environment, 1978, Department of the Environment (IAM) Ancient Monuments of England (Vol 2), 80 (Monograph). SWX1687.

<8> DOE (HRR), 20 May 1985, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest: District of West Dorset amendment 1985, 26 (Scheduling record). SWX2354.

<9> DCMS, 1997, Scheduled Monument Notification 1997, 12/06/1997 (Scheduling record). SDO17426.

<10> Hinchcliffe, J and V, 1999, Dive Dorset: a diver guide (3rd Edition), 22 (Monograph). SWX1.

<11> Historic England, Historic England Archive, BB44/00932 (Index). SDO14738.

A view of St Catherine's Chapel, Abbotsbury, from the north-east

<12> Historic England, Historic England Archive, FL00456 (Index). SDO14738.

St Catherine's Chapel, Abbotsbury, Dorset.

<13> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OP24454 (Index). SDO14738.

A view of St Catherine's Chapel, Abbotsbury, from the north-west

<14> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OP24455-7 (Index). SDO14738.

A view of St Catherine's Chapel, Abbotsbury, from the north-east

<15> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OP24458 (Index). SDO14738.

Looking up at the tower of St Catherine's Chapel, Abbotsbury, from the south-west. This print was received by the National Buildings Record on 4th May 1945.

<16> Historic England, Historic England Archive, PF/SCC (Index). SDO14738.

St Catherine's Chapel, Abbotsbury, Dorset. Twenty-nine sheets, including site plans and drawings of new doors and window glazing from the 1920s, copies of a deed plan from 1947, more door and window drawings from 1950 and 1961, details of stonework from 1958 and 1966, survey drawings from 1960, reproduction drawings from the mid 1960s, a photogrammetric survey from 1988, and a sketch survey plan, probably from the 1980s.

<17> National Record of the Historic Environment, 450552 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Mar 6 2025 7:11AM