| Summary : The ruins of Netley Abbey, the Cistercian Abbey of St Mary's of Edwardstow. It was founded in 1238 by Peter des Roches, Bishop of Winchester, who settled there from Beaulieu. The abbey was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1536 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the site was granted to Sir William Paulet, afterwards Marquis of Winchester. He converted the abbey buildings into a Tudor courtyard house with private gardens. Although Hearth Tax returns of 1665 show it to be amongst the largest houses in Hampshire, it was sold in 1676 and probably some time after this it fell into disrepair. Parts of the building were demolished for building materials from the early 18th century and the remaining ruins were later preserved as a romantic ruin or folly during the Romantic Movement in the 1860s. Substantial ruins remain of the 13th century abbey including the church, cloister to the south, sacristy, chapterhouse, parlour, dorter undercroft, warming house, frater, kitchen and abbots lodging. There are also earthwork aqueducts running from a possible water catchment to the north, which is known as The Moat, and may have been associated with the abbey. The post-Dissolution house was built on the south range and the original claustral area became the main courtyard with a fountain at the centre. The conversion was largely carried out in brick, although some stone was used. The nave of the church was turned into a hall and kitchen, and new elements were added, whilst some parts of the abbey were demolished. A private garden was laid out between the house and the former abbot's building. After the house was abandoned the overgrown nature of the remains made the site attractive to the Romantic Movement, and the abbey became a romantic ruin or folly. The site is now run by English Heritage and is open to the public. |
More information : [Centred SU 45300900] Remains of Netley Abbey
(Cistercian founded AD 1239) (1)
Netley Abbey. Cistercian founded 1239, dissolved 1536. (2)
For a full description of the site please refer to the Netley Abbey guide. (3)
The architectural remains are fully covered by the MPBW Guidebook and are as described, but there are earthworks which are not mentioned. The principal of these is the feature known as 'The Moat'. This lies on the SE side of the abbey and comprises an enormous bank and ditch, badly mutilated in recent years, which originally seems to have run from the head of a coombe at SU45410919 to the sea at SU 45150876. There is a possibility that the work is connected with the Tudor Netley Castle [SU 40 NE 3] but it is as unusual in this context as it is in a monastic one. However, the fact that Netley Abbey was colonised from Beaulieu Abbey has a special significance here because I think a large bank and ditch work on the N side of that abbey will eventually prove to be a precinct work of the earliest monastic occupation, and so the same may apply to Netley, which has no precinct wall as far as we know. The other major earthworks comprise the conduits which exist on the E side of West Wood [SU 455096]. The more westerly seems to have been designed to feed the claustral buildings while the other perhaps supplemented the feeding of the string of fishponds along the coombe to the NE of the abbey. Both conduits get their water from the same stream but at different levels. For the system to have worked it would have been necessary to have dammed this stream but there is no evidence that this was ever done and it is possible that the water supply running naturally through the site was in fact found adequate and the conduit system never completed.
AM revised at 1:2500/1:1250. (4)
Previously listed as Grade I. (5)
Cistercian Abbey of St Mary of Edwardstow, later converted into a Tudor mansion. It was founded in 1238 by Peter des Roches, Bishop of Winchester, and settled from Beaulieu. It was dissolved as one of the lesser monasteries in 1536. The site was granted to Sir William Paulet, afterwards Marquis of Winchester, who converted the abbey buildings into a courtyard house, the claustral area becoming the main courtyard with a fountain at the centre. The conversion was largely carried out in brick, although stone was used but much of the brick has gone both as a result of robbing and later 'idealisation' of the abbey as a romantic ruin. The nave of the church was turned into a hall, kitchen and new elements were added, while some parts of the abbey were demolished. Mouldings built into Netley Castle may be from the abbey. A private garden was laid out between the house and the former abbot's building, enclosed by a wall to the north and containing brick lined terraces. Although Hearth Tax returns of 1665 show it to be amongst the largest houses in Hampshire, it was sold in 1676 and probably some time after this, towards the end of the 17th century, fell out of use and parts sold off for demolition. Material was used in rebuilding St Mary's Church in Southampton and part was used to build a sham ruin in Cranbury Park in the mid 18th century (where the remains are listed). Increasing decay and the overgrown nature of the remains made the site attractive to the Romantic Movement, and the abbey gained renown as a romantic ruin. Clearance and excavation of the site took place in 1860. Substantial ruins remain, together with earthwork aqueducts running from a possible water catchment to the north. The ruins include the church, cloister to the south, sacristy, chapterhouse, parlour, dorter undercroft, warming house, frater, kitchen and abbots lodging. Earthworks include a feature known as The Moat on the south east side of the abbey and comprises a massive, though badly mutilated, bank and ditch. (6-7)
Architectural recording of the chapter house and part of the frater suggests that the south wall of the chapter house had a porch or covered alley, leading perhaps to a secondary cloister. (8)
Geophysical survey of the abbey grounds has revealed features associated with the monastery, in particular new structural evidence in the area between the main monastery buildings and the Abbot's Lodging to the east. These features could be garden features associated with the Tudor mansion, but are more likely to be ancillary buildings, perhaps the infirmary cloister, of the medieval monastery. (9)
Archaeological excavation of a section of the collapsed conduit to the south of the reredorter has shown it to be probably medieval in date, with a contemporary open ditch at least 3.5m wide connecting it to the fish ponds to the east. A stone and brick culvert was inserted into this ditch at a later date, either at the time of the manor house or romantic ruin. (10)
The information in sources 6 and 7 is also available in these sources. (11-15)
Netley Abbey is the most complete Cistercian monastery in southern England and has very good standing remains of its church and other monastic buildings. The abbey was converted after its dissolution into the mansion house of Sir William Paulet and when it was in a ruined state it continued to be influential by inspiring Romantic writers and poets. (16)
The extensive and well preserved ruins of the Cistercian Abbey of St Mary of Edwardstow, founded by Bishop Peter des Roches in 1239, with the patronage taken over by Henry III in 1251. It was dissolved in 1536 and the buildings were converted into a large house by the Marquis of Winchester, W Paulet. It later fell into ruin.
The 13th century Abbey Church is largely intact up to the triforium level, and the south transept up to roof level. South of the church is the cloister. Along the east side are the remains of the chapter house, the dorter, the reredorter with possibly the novices' infirmary below. The arrangement of the garderobes is well preserved, with water flowing below in a channel. The south range was altered for the post-reformation house, and an entrance gate was inserted. Here had been the frater, kitchen and warming house. The ruins of a two storey building to the east of the rest of the ruins, was probably the Abbot's Lodging. (17)
Please refer to the Hampshire Historic Environment Record for further information on the abbey. (18)
A brief description and history. The abbey was founded in 1239, and Henry III assumed patronage in 1251, which may account for the grandeur of the church, and his name appears on the base of a pillar. Despite this it was a relatively poor house and was in decline even before the Reformation. After the Dissolution it was granted to Sir William Paulet, who converted it into an impressive house in which Elizabeth I is known to have stayed. The house had fallen out of use by 1700, and partially sold, dismantled, demolished, or removed. Material was used in the re-building of St mary's Church, Southampton, and fragments of the north transept of the church were incorporated into a folly built in the grounds of Cranbury Park near WInchester. The site attracted the attentio of writers, poets, and artists, including Horace Walpole and Thomas Gray, JMW Turner and John Constable. Jane Austen also visited the site, which by the early 19th century was a well known Gothic ruin. The Abbey was built to a typical Cistercian monastic plan, and during the Tudor conversion the church became the great hall, and an adjacent kitchen was constructed. The choir remained in use as the family chapel, and the south transept became the family's private rooms. The eastern range was converted into a long gallery. The rectory was demolished by William Paulet to make way for a new gatehouse, and the cloister became his inner courtyard with a fountain in the centre. (19)
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