Netley
Encyclopedia
Netley, sometimes called Netley Abbey, is a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , 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...

 on the south coast of Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...

, England, situated on the east side of the city of Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the 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 Abbey
Netley Abbey
Netley Abbey is a ruined late medieval monastery in the village of Netley near Southampton in Hampshire, England. The abbey was founded in 1239 as a house for Roman Catholic monks of the austere Cistercian order. Despite being a royal abbey, Netley was never rich, produced no influential scholars...

 and on the other by the Royal Victoria Country Park
Royal Victoria Country Park
The 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 Hospital
Netley Hospital
The Royal Victoria Hospital, or Netley Hospital was a large military hospital in Netley, near Southampton, 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,...

); built after the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. 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 II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming 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 colourful terraced cottages. It is located along the shore of Southampton Water; the shingle beach looks across to Hythe
Hythe, Hampshire
Hythe is a village near Southampton, Hampshire, England. It is located by the shore of Southampton Water, and has a ferry service connecting it to Southampton...

 and Calshot
Calshot
Calshot is a coastal village in Hampshire, England at the west corner of Southampton_Water where it joins the Solent. A settlement at the site is believed to have existed since the fifth century AD...

, 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 railway station
Netley railway station
Netley 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...

features hourly services to Southampton and Portsmouth.

External links

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