Netley Abbey

📍 Hampshire, England

4.3 ★★★★ 1,800 reviews

About

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 monks of the austere Cistercian order. Despite royal patronage, Netley was never rich, produced no influential scholars nor churchmen, and its nearly 300-year history was quiet. The monks were best known to their neighbours for the generous hospitality they offered to travellers on land and sea.

Founded in 1239 by Cistercian monks under the patronage of Henry III. After dissolution in 1536, it was converted into a Tudor mansion. A demolition worker's death halted destruction, and the ruins became overgrown — celebrated by Romantic writers including Jane Austen and painter John Constable. The superb Abbot's Lodging with its vaulted undercroft survives. Free to visit, managed by English Heritage.