Since the
time when the Abbey was taken from the monks, it has been private
property; and the possessor, in Henry VIII.'s days, or subsequently,
built a residence for himself within its precincts out of the old
materials. This has now entirely disappeared, all but some unsightly old
masonry, patched into the original walls. Large portions of the ruin
have been removed, likewise, to be used as building-materials elsewhere;
and this is the Abbey mentioned, I think, by Dr. Watts, concerning which
a Mr. William Taylor had a dream while he was contemplating pulling it
down. He dreamed that a part of it fell upon his head; and, sure enough,
a piece of the wall did come down and crush him. In the nave I saw a
large mass of conglomerated stone that had fallen from the wall between
the nave and cloisters, and thought that perhaps this was the very mass
that killed poor Mr. Taylor.
The ruins are extensive and very interesting; but I have put off
describing them too long, and cannot make a distinct picture of them now.
Moreover, except to a spectator skilled in architecture, all ruined
abbeys are pretty much alike. As we came away, we noticed some women
making baskets at the entrance, and one of them urged us to buy some of
her handiwork; for that she was the gypsy of Netley Abbey, and had lived
among the ruins these thirty years. So I bought one for a shilling. She
was a woman with a prominent nose, and weather-tanned, but not very
picturesque or striking.
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