Netley Abbey

Netley Abbey
Hampshire, England
Order:	Cistercian
Established:	1239
Mother house:	Beaulieu

Drawn by the antiquarian engravers Samuel and Nathaniel Buck in 1732–3, this picture shows the abbey church fundamentally as it stands in the 21st century.

English: Netley Abbey was founded in 1239 as a house near Southampton in Hampshire, England, for monks of the austere Cistercian order. Closed in 1536 and converted to a mansion, it was abandoned and partially demolished in the 18th century. The ruins attracted the attention of artists, dramatists and poets, and inspired many works of art. Becoming a popular tourist attraction, the ruins were given to the nation; it is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument, cared for by English Heritage.

Photos

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  Gate
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  Cloister comprising the south transept and the east range: entrance to the chapter house is through the centre triple arches.
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  Close up of the east presbytery window
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  East presbytery window as seen from the choir
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  Outside view of the east presbytery window
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  South transept from the south-east
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  Crossing and south transept from inside
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  South transept as seen from a window in the nave
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  Inside the nave, looking west
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  The west end of the nave, viewed from outside the ruined church
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  Nave as seen from the cloister
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  Facade of the reredorter
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  Reredorter with the latrines
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  Abbot's house
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  Abbot's house with the church and cloister to the left
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  View showing the vaulted ceiling inside the Abbot's house
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  South range and reredorter

Cranbury Park

In the 1760s, sections of Netley Abbey were moved to this park and used to build a folly.

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  Frontal view of the folly
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  Far view

Art

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  Godfrey's engraving of the transept (1776)
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  Godfrey's depiction of the abbey from the south-east (1784)
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  Sparrow's engraving of the church and east range (1784)
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  Sparrow's drawing of the vaulted hall of the reredorter (1784)
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  John Constable's etching (1826)
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  Constable's oil painting (c. 1833)
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  The abbey seen by moonlight in Constable's oil (c. 1833)
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  Artwork in The Penny Magazine, illustrating the east view from the choir (1833)
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  Nicholson's drawing from a north-east perspective (1830s)
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  Hall's drawing of the west front of the church (1830s)
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  MacKewen's portrayal of a picnic in the chapterhouse (1840s)
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  MacKewen's portrayal of the nave and presbytery (1840s)

Architectural drawings

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  Plan of the abbey and its precinct at the time of the 1860 excavations.
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  A cross-section of the church as it may have appeared when complete.
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  Section of the interior of the presbytery as it may have appeared prior to the Dissolution.
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  Details of the east window of the abbey church
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  A Victorian idea of what the interior of the chapter house may have looked like when in use.

Archaeological discoveries

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  A mediaeval painted glass panel from the church showing God and the Virgin Mary.
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  The seal of the abbot of Netley.
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  Fragments of sculpture from the abbey.
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  Incised tomb slab of a young monk.
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  The official seal of Netley Abbey.
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  Heraldic tiles from the floor of the church.
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  Gargoyles and sculpture.