Netley, sometimes called
Netley Abbey, is a
villageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a town or city. Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New York City and the Saifi Village in...
on the south coast of
HampshireHampshire , sometimes historically Southamptonshire, Hamptonshire, , or the County of Southampton, is a county on the south coast of England. The county borders , Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, situated close to the city of
SouthamptonSouthampton is the largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
. It is flanked on the one side by the ruins of
Netley AbbeyNetley Abbey is a ruined medieval monastery in the village of Netley near Southampton in Hampshire, England. The abbey was founded in 1239 as a house for monks of the austere Cistercian order. Despite being a royal abbey, Netley was never rich, produced no influential scholars or churchmen, and its...
and on the other by the
Royal Victoria Country ParkThe Royal Victoria Country Park is a country park in Netley, Hampshire, England, by the shores of Southampton Water. It comprises of mature woodland and grassy parkland, as well as a small shingle beach....
, which is the site of the old Royal Victoria Military Hospital (or
Netley HospitalThe Royal Victoria Military Hospital, or Netley Hospital, was a large military hospital in Netley, Hampshire, England. Construction started in 1856 at the suggestion of Queen Victoria but its design caused some controversy, chiefly from Florence Nightingale. Often visited by Queen Victoria, the...
); built after the
Crimean WarThe Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire on one side and an alliance of the British Empire, France, the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia on the other. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
, and used extensively from 1863 through to
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
In fact it continued to be used as a military hospital until its closure in 1979 when it was converted into a country park.
Netley, sometimes called
Netley Abbey, is a
villageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a town or city. Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New York City and the Saifi Village in...
on the south coast of
HampshireHampshire , sometimes historically Southamptonshire, Hamptonshire, , or the County of Southampton, is a county on the south coast of England. The county borders , Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, situated close to the city of
SouthamptonSouthampton is the largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
. It is flanked on the one side by the ruins of
Netley AbbeyNetley Abbey is a ruined medieval monastery in the village of Netley near Southampton in Hampshire, England. The abbey was founded in 1239 as a house for monks of the austere Cistercian order. Despite being a royal abbey, Netley was never rich, produced no influential scholars or churchmen, and its...
and on the other by the
Royal Victoria Country ParkThe Royal Victoria Country Park is a country park in Netley, Hampshire, England, by the shores of Southampton Water. It comprises of mature woodland and grassy parkland, as well as a small shingle beach....
, which is the site of the old Royal Victoria Military Hospital (or
Netley HospitalThe Royal Victoria Military Hospital, or Netley Hospital, was a large military hospital in Netley, Hampshire, England. Construction started in 1856 at the suggestion of Queen Victoria but its design caused some controversy, chiefly from Florence Nightingale. Often visited by Queen Victoria, the...
); built after the
Crimean WarThe Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire on one side and an alliance of the British Empire, France, the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia on the other. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
, and used extensively from 1863 through to
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
In fact it continued to be used as a military hospital until its closure in 1979 when it was converted into a country park. It is located in the Parish of Hound, an area which also covers Butlocks Heath and Old Netley.
The oldest part of Netley retains the feel of a somewhat old-fashioned and quaint village, with some traditional small shops, and rows of sometimes colourful terraced cottages. It is located along the shore of Southampton Water; the shingle beach looks across to
HytheHythe is a village near Southampton, Hampshire, England.It has a small shopping area clustered around its High Street which includes a supermarket, a public library, several charity shops, and a number of small independent shops...
and
CalshotCalshot is a coastal village in Hampshire, England. A settlement at the site is believed to have existed since the fifth century AD. It is mentioned as "Cerdicesora" in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle....
, although the vista is somewhat dominated by Fawley Oil Refinery.
Away from the shore, larger estates of houses have developed over the years which have greatly increased Netley's population and blurred the boundary between Netley Abbey and Butlocks Heath, but the village still retains the feel of a small community. There were two schools linked to each other, called Netley Abbey Infant School and Netley Abbey & Butlocks Heath County Junior School; extensive building occurred onsite at the junior school in the late 1980s and the site now provides a Primary School for the village. There are a handful of churches, including the Parish Church of St Edward The Confessor.
Netley has its own
railway stationNetley railway station is a railway station near the village of Netley in Hampshire, England. The station is run by South West Trains and is on the West Coastway Line. Near to the station is Royal Victoria Country Park. In former times a branch from the station conveyed patients to nearby Netley...
with hourly services to Southampton and Portsmouth.
External links