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The Major Tourist
Attractions
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The daddy of Netley's tourist attractions,
for obvious reasons. The Abbey fell into ruin around
the time of the Reformation, when Henry VIII tastefully
raided the place for bricks to build his gaff over
the road (see Netley Castle).
Understandably, the Abbey is haunted
by a ghostly friar guarding the monks' hoarded treasure.
We never saw the old boy, but did used to wind each
other up down here on countless summer evening misadventures
as kids.
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Number two in the tourist
stakes, at the other end of Victoria Road from the
Abbey (about a 10-minute walk) is the RVCP, or "Vicky
Park". In the centre of it stands a chapel -
the only remaining building from the war hospital
that used to stand here before it was destroyed in
suspicious circumstances by fire (the chapel only
just survived another brush with disaster years later
- see the story here).
The Vicky Park also hosts a peaceful
War Cemetery, and offers several acres of parkland
for barbecues, camping, sport and walking - there
is a coastal walk down to the neighbouring village
of Hamble. The Park also has the "prestige"
of hosting the annual Hampshire Fair each summer,
just the job if you want to watch dogs jump through
hoops!
The Royal
Victoria Railway in the Park is now an attraction
in its own right, but didn’t really exist when
I lived in the village,
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Not strictly a tourist attraction,
as it has recently been converted from a hospice to
private luxury residences, so if you go for a butcher's,
don't tell them we sent you! Best reached by parking
in the Abbey Hall car park and walking along the beach
towards Southampton for 200 yards.
One of a series of forts built
by Henry VIII to protect the Solent from the French,
it raided the Abbey for building materials and never
saw any active service. Apparently the big man did
stay here, but just the once. Money well spent then!
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Just about the only time Netley
gets a mention on local news is when the latest big
boat is about to set sail on its maiden voyage. The
slopes of Victoria Rec (next to the Abbey Hall) and
the Vicky Park lawns offer ideal views of Southampton
Water, with the firework shows thrown in for free
as well. Apparently you couldn't move in Netley the
day the Oriana set sail (remember that?), and as for
the Titanic...
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A hidden gem, Hound Church stands
outside the village going towards Hamble on Hound
Lane. It's an 800-year old Norman Church, and it looks
it! Complete with gabled gate (old hang-out of Hamble
School truants) and historic graveyard, its worth
a look if old buildings light your fire.
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Other stuff that
may float your boat
Not major-league tourist sights,
but still may help to while away the days...
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The Conker Field sits right
on the boundary of Netley and Weston (Southampton
City's southernmost point), and is basically a recreation
ground, but without any road access. The Field can
be reached by walking right along the beach from the
Abbey Hall, or from the other end by parking at Weston
Shore (just don't expect to see your car there when
you get back!). There is a small footpath cut-through
from opposite the Abbey.
The Conker Field gets its name
from the horse chestnut trees that grow there, and
there are also some blackberries around as well. It
is a very large green area stretching downhill towards
the Water, although there are a lot of very big dogs
to dodge, as their owners let them run around off
leash. This was once a good spot for picnics, however
it is now allegedly popular as a "cottaging spot"
with the gay community, so be warned that conkers
may not be the only nuts you see in the bushes!
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Yes, Netley has a beach.
And yes, it is tidal and does smell of seaweed. Although
technically a river estuary and penned in by the Isle
of Wight, Southampton Water has two tides a day and
does have a perceivable coast-line. The beach is shingle,
and not particularly clean due to the twin tides and
the fact that the Water is a very busy shipping channel.
The beach is most accessible from
the Abbey Hall car park (at the end of Grange Road,
near the Castle). Turn right if you want to walk towards
Southampton - after around 600 yards you will pass
from Netley to Weston inside the City boundary - note
the high-rise flats overlooking Weston Shore. Back
in the 1950's, Weston was Southampton's "resort",
now it's more of a last resort.
Turn left at the Abbey Hall to
walk along Netley's shore towards the Vicky Park -
take care of the tide, as if it comes in you may find
yourself stranded for a couple of hours on the cliffs.
Also, if you do feel the need for
a swim, keep your mouth shut - Woolston Sewage works
is only a couple of miles upstream.
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Netley cliffs are in-between the
Abbey Hall and the Vicky Park, and are around 30-foot
tall in places. There is no official path, but I remember
as a nipper being able to climb/scramble up the right-hand
side in front of Netley Court school, 3 litre bottle
of Strongbow tightly grasped in one hand.
The cliffs offered an unsurpassed
vista for underage cider consumption, although once
finished there was a mental run back down the cliff
face. Obviously, NATA does not condone underage drinking,
particularly up cliffs, as that would be stupid.
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A legend of Netley folklore
- a large concrete sea-wall that keeps the Vicky Park
where it should be, it is a nice place for a sea-side
walk, dodging past suicidal skateboarders/scooters/cyclists
and the like.
A popular place for kids to dive
in the sea, I was always put off by (1) the sight
of fresh "Woolston trout" gently lapping
against the wall, (2) the horror stories of kids jumping
into shallow water and breaking their backs and (3)
the fact that I can't swim.
Not recommended for swimming, definitely
recommended for sunset summer strolls with loved ones.
The previous confusion over how
the wall got it's name may have been solved by a Netley
resident: "I have always presumed 'ossie' as
in 'ossie wall' to be a Netleyspeak corruption of
'hospital'." Cheers to Chris for this one, although
I'm a wee bit disappointed, as I always imagined Ossie
to a person's name.
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Not big, not clever, just
a massive land-fill site marking the inshore boundary
between Netley and Southampton City-Limits. The first
land-fill site is behind the Old Mill House pub, and
as kids at Netley Junior School we used to great views
of dump trucks plying their trade, along with the
smells to match. Now filled and one of a belt of landfill
sites on Southampton's south-east boundary, it's still
not really a picnic site!
Many a drunken late-night stagger
back from Town (missed the bus and too skint for a
cab) would culminate in a spooky walk past the tip
and over the rail bridge, with only the low roar of
the methane burners for company!
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Netley Recreation Ground,
off Station Road, is the home to the once-mighty Netley
Central Sports, who defeated all before them in the
Hampshire League glory years of the mid-1980s. Resplendent
in their two-tone blue strips (think Wycombe Wanderers),
Netley CS currently (Dec 2009) reside in the “Hampshire
League 2004”, which they won in the 2008-09
season, hampered by the fact that they play on a municipal
rec (albeit one with floodlights) and can't charge
for admission. In fact, they even have trouble keeping
dogs and errant old people off the pitch during the
game!
The team aside, Netley Rec is best
accessed by the front door - park on Station Road
and walk through the wrought iron gates next to the
Surgery, down the tree-lined avenue as it opens up
into a spacious recreation ground. Alternative access
is from Netley's interior - Queensview, The Crescent,
Hunt Avenue and Denzil Avenue.
The roundabout in the kiddies play
area was always a favourite with the Butlocks Boys
on the late-night cider sessions (compulsory for all
16 year-olds), due to the mildly hallucinogenic effects
of a vigorous spinning on a gut-full of Scrumpy Jack.
This is, of course, shameful behavior in no way advocated
by NATA.
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Not to be outdone by it's
oppressive neighbour (read the story of how Butlocks
Heath has been wiped out by Netley's expansionism
here), Butlocks
Rec not only boasts swings and a football pitch, but
also has Hound Parish Hall backing onto it, a half-pipe
skate/BMX ramp, some woods AND a reservoir. No wonder
Netley was so keen to claim Butlocks for itself!
I have seen real wild deer sweep
majestically out of the woods that border the Rec,
only for it to clock an Alsatian, bottle it, and sprint
back through the woods again. I have had to deal with
stag beetles bigger than my hand after they invaded
my goal when I was playing there, and I've been involved
in an incident where the police were called to investigate
some suspicious "grave-shaped" soil mounds
("Next time, don't call us lads, we'll call you").
All in all, a top-deck rec.
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The Bunney is a narrow, long strip
of woodland in the valley separating Ingleside and
Butlocks Heath. This offered no end of playing opportunities
for us as kids, until our parents discovered that
the land was in fact owned by Southern Water and was
apparently linked to some kind of sewage overflow!
That explains quite a lot...
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The Blue Bridge is a footbridge
spanning the Southampton-Portsmouth train line, and
contrary to popular mythology, is not blue but white
(with a blue trim). The bridge links the central footpath
through Ingleside from the Whitwell Field with Moore
Crescent in Netley's interior. Over the years, the
Bridge has been in and out of favour with various
juvenile delinquents, but has never had the perennial
appeal of three-card brag sessions outside Circle
K (latterly Alldays).
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