Abbey or priory · Abbotsbury · Dorset

Abbotsbury Abbey

Abbotsbury Abbey is a Benedictine abbey. It is within Abbotsbury’s built-up area. The register lists it as a scheduled monument.

Photo: Abbotsbury Abbey, JohnArmagh (Public domain)

Where

In Abbotsbury

inside the built-up area

Run by

English Heritage

a national heritage body

How well known

Top 16%

#1,300 of 8,556 places we list

Warmest months

Jun–Sep

highs of 19–21°C

In brief

Abbey or priory in Abbotsbury

Inside Abbotsbury

Abbotsbury Abbey is inside Abbotsbury’s built-up area, with 4 more places to visit within 5 km. Towns near it ↓

Cared for by English Heritage

One of the places English Heritage looks after; members usually get in free. About ↓

Scheduled monument

On the official list of protected heritage; Abbotsbury has 78 listed buildings in all, on its History page. About ↓

Written from OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, the ONS built-up areas and Met Office 1991–2020 averages.

When to go

The year in Abbotsbury

Warmest in Abbotsbury are June to September, at 19–21°C.

Jan8° / 3°101 mm

Feb8° / 2°70 mm

Mar11° / 3°69 mm

Apr13° / 5°64 mm

May16° / 7°56 mm

Jun19° / 10°57 mm

Jul21° / 12°63 mm

Aug21° / 12°76 mm

Sep19° / 10°73 mm

Oct15° / 8°108 mm

Nov12° / 5°121 mm

Dec9° / 3°107 mm

Green months are the warmest. Typical afternoon highs and night lows in Abbotsbury, and rain in a month. Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for Abbotsbury. Opening times change through the year: check before you go. Abbotsbury’s full climate →

About

Abbotsbury Abbey

Its care is managed by English Heritage. Readers can find it on Wikipedia in 4 languages. Close by, Maiden Castle is 9.6 km away, one of 31 within 15 km.

Abbotsbury’s listed buildings and monuments →

Type: Abbey or priory
Run by: English Heritage
Listed: Scheduled monument
Wikipedias: Covered in 4 languages
Town: in Abbotsbury
Official site: english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/abbotsbury-st-catherines-chapel

Facts: Wikidata (CC0) and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors).

The map

Where it sits

Find Abbotsbury Abbey in orange; each number is a place listed below.

Towns near it

Towns a short way from Abbotsbury Abbey

Weymouth tops the 8 for size, at 55,540 people. The towns whose pages list it: the one it is in, those within 5 km of it, then larger towns further out.

1 · It’s in town

Abbotsbury

214 people · 5 places to visit

2 · 1.9 km east of it

Portesham

610 people · 5 places to visit

3 · 6 km northwest of it

Litton Cheney

357 people · 1 place to visit

4 · 7.8 km northeast of it

Winterborne St Martin

484 people · 9 places to visit

Compare the 8 towns

Town	Where Abbotsbury Abbey is	People	Places to visit
Abbotsbury	It’s in town	214	5
Portesham	1.9 km east of it	610	5
Litton Cheney	6 km northwest of it	357	1
Winterborne St Martin	7.8 km northeast of it	484	9
Chickerell	8.4 km southeast of it	3,973	13
Burton Bradstock	10 km northwest of it	687	1
Weymouth	11 km southeast of it	55,540	26
Dorchester	12 km northeast of it	21,358	11

Each has its own grades, prices and things to do.

Make a day of it

Next door to Abbotsbury Abbey

Also close at hand are 4 museums, a fort and a castle, among 31 within 15 km.

Fort · English HeritageMaiden Castle9.6 km away 2

MuseumAbbotsbury Subtropical Gardens1.4 km away 3

CastleSandsfoot Castle12 km away 4

MuseumDinosaur Museum13 km away 5

MuseumBennetts Water Gardens8.9 km away 6Historic siteHistoric site · English HeritageKingston Russell Stone Circle2.7 km away 7

MuseumDorset Museum13 km away 8

Historic house · National TrustMax Gate13 km away

Within 15 km, close and well known first. Numbers match the map.

Visiting Abbotsbury Abbey: the answers

Where is Abbotsbury Abbey?

Abbotsbury Abbey is in Abbotsbury, Dorset, inside the town’s built-up area.

What is Abbotsbury Abbey?

Benedictine abbey in Dorset, England, UK.

Who runs Abbotsbury Abbey?

English Heritage, so members usually get in free; check opening times before you go.

When is the best time to visit Abbotsbury Abbey?

June to September are the warmest months in Abbotsbury, with afternoon highs of 19–21°C (Met Office 1991–2020 averages).

Is Abbotsbury Abbey a listed building?

Yes: scheduled monument.

What else is there to see near Abbotsbury Abbey?

Within 15 km: Maiden Castle (9.6 km), Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens (1.4 km), Sandsfoot Castle (12 km) and Dinosaur Museum (13 km).

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (8)

Abbotsbury Abbey: JohnArmagh, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Maiden Castle: Major George Allen (1891–1940), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens: Donarreiskoffer, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Sandsfoot Castle: Ajsmith141, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Dinosaur Museum: Chris Talbot, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Bennetts Water Gardens: Schlaier, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Dorset Museum: Cmyk at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Max Gate: Pierre Terre, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.