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| Remains of the Abbey Church |
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| Triple arched entrance to the chapter house |
Netley Abbey lies near the Solent just East of Southampton. It is the most complete surviving Cistercian Abbey in the South of England and is in the care of English Heritage, which provides a web page.
Peter des Roches, the bishop of Winchester founded the abbey in 1238 as a Cistercian house and the following year a colony of monks from Beaulieu Abbey arrived. When the abbey was fully operational there were 15 monks and 30 lay brothers and servants. At the Dissolution of the abbey in 1536, Sir William Paulet was granted the site and converted the monastery into a country house. Paulet was the 1st Marquess of Winchester and was treasurer of the Royal Household. He modified the abbey extensively building in brick to create a courtyard where the cloisters had been. Most of his additions were demolished in the late 19th century to leave the stone ruins seen today.
There is an extensive article on the Abbey on Wikipedia
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| Remains of the Abbey Church |
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| Triple arched entrance to the chapter house |
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| Double arched window | Undercroft | |
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| The cloisters are through the doorway on the left | View from the South of the site |
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