On Sunday 23rd November 2025 the ever popular Candles on St Catherine’s Hill will take place in Abbotsbury. The date is chosen to coincide as near as possible to the feast day of St Catherine of Alexandria in whose name the iconic chapel is dedicated . The barrel vaulted chapel built by monks in the 14th century remains largely unchanged through the centuries and stands in splendid isolation above the village of Abbotsbury nestled below. If you look carefully you will see holes in the wall which are prayer holes for knees and hands to rest in. The story of St Catherine of Alexandria has been told and retold through the ages crediting her with being martyred on a cartwheel broken by an angel, as it broke the spikes flew outwards injuring her captors. Known for her wisdom and purity , as the patron saint of scholars, philosophers, students, unmarried girls, wheelwrights and millers she has been one of the most well known of the early Christian saints. Notable also today through the popularity of the Catherine Wheel firework, which regularly features on November 5th in most Bonfire night displays, the sparks echoing the flying spikes from the broken wheel.

Children from schools in Burton Bradstock, Portesham, Litton Cheney, Abbotsbury preschool and St Catherine’s Bridport have been beavering away creating decorated candle bags. The candlebags will be weighted with sand by our marvellous volunteers and will have battery powered led lights inside. With the artworks from these five local schools and contributions from the local community there will be a huge wheel of light and a pathway lit by candlebags guiding us up to the chapel. The views from the top of the hill are well worth the climb and extend across the Jurassic coast from Lyme Bay to Portland and beyond. The full spectacle can be truly appreciated once dusk turns to night and the light from the installation intensifies.

You too can be a part of this extraordinary event by purchasing a candle bag (£2 each) from local Abbotsbury shops, Bridport Tourist Information Centre and from the workshop in Abbotsbury Village Hall on the day from 1.15pm. The workshop will have art materials available so that you can decorate your bag on the day. The designs for the bags are entirely up to you, some have rememberance of loved ones both human and animals , some are sentiments known only to the maker and some expressions of hope and peace. You can then take it up the hill where our marvellous volunteers will be waiting to assist you in placing it on the path lining the route to the chapel. Your efforts will be rewarded with those remarkable views. Then stay awhile, as we are very fortunate to have the a capella choir The Frenchays singing for us once again, in the chapel at 3pm. An opportunity not to be missed, what better way to experience the acoustics of this historic building than with the superb voices of the Frenchays. The Frenchays have a lovely selection of songs to entertain us with and some are indeed their own compositions, such talent! As the music comes to a close there will be a few words of dedication to St Catherine, to all those loved ones remembered through the illustrations encapsulated in the candle bags, and to our late Founder Barbara Laurie without whom the event would not have been such a success.

Our thanks go to our sponsors without whom the provision of materials to our schools would not happen so our thanks go to Burton Bradstock Parish Council, Ilchester Estates, the Beachcombers and an anonymous donor (you know who you are).

Special thanks to the lovely folk at Chapel Lane stores for helping to sell candlebags. Thank you also to Abbotsbury shops and galleries for their support and to our local magazines and newspapers for ensuring our event is mentioned in the What’s on diaries it all helps. Thank you to Avon supplies for the sand and to Sherrens for their help and advice with printing.

To our wonderful volunteers please accept our thanks in advance of your help you are much appreciated and the event cannot do without you!

It just remains for the weather to stay fine (fingers crossed) but in the event of severely bad weather we will revert to the village hall.
Looking forward to welcoming you to Abbotsbury on Sunday 23rd November!

The project is being run by Friends of St Nicholas.
Led by: Julie Evans, Gard Gawor, Barbara Laurie

St Catherine of Alexandria is the patron saint of the chapel on the hill in Abbotsbury.
We celebrate on the nearest convenient Sunday to St Catherine’s Day, 25th November.