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NETLEY ABBEY MATTERS!
PAST LIVES + TIMES OF NETLEY CASTLE
There is a lot out there about the history of Netley Fort which became a Castle, then lay in ruins for a while (as noticed by writer, Alexander Pope when he visited it in 1734) but then became a private residence.
Netley Fort was built by William Paulet on behalf of Henry Vlll as part of the South Coast fortifications to stop the French invading.
In order to save time and money on constructing the castle, the abbey gatehouse which faced the sea, was adapted into the centre of the castle, with the stones of the abbey used to construct
the rest of the castle.
A description in 1547 describes the castle as a “stone tower or fortress and two barbicans,
for defence of the Realm”.
www.wikipedia.co.uk
Queen Elizabeth is said to have stayed overnight in Netley Castle in 1560.
Mr George Hunt, who first leased the castle from Thomas Chamberlayne in about 1852, was responsible for turning it into a private residence under the supervision of the architect,
George Guillaume.
He remained at Netley Castle until 1857 by which time, it now boasted an oriel window
overlooking the sea and the battlements had been blocked in to allow the construction of a
second storey to the building.
Mr George Shirreff took over the lease of Netley Castle between 1868 and 1873.
He had at his disposal a large quantity of Elizabethan masonry which, according to the Winchester
Journal of 19/10/1861, had been removed from the Abbey so he used this to build
a stone sea wall around the front of the Castle.
In 1876, he took on the Netley Villagers when he decided to stop up Grange Lane
once it reached Victoria Road and so prevent the Villagers proceeding down to the sea.
More details are available on Growth of the Village.
At some point, Mr Shirreff must have purchased Netley Castle from the Chamberlayne family
as it was his Executors who sold it on his death in 1881 to - the Crichton Family.
Beryl Varilone - "Netley Castle and its People"
The last resident of Netley Castle before the Crichtons purchased it in 1881 was
the Honourable Mrs Eliot Yorke. She had moved there following the death in 1878, of her
husband Hon Eliot Constantine Yorke, fourth son of the fourth Earl of Hardwicke.
As the Honourable Henry George Louis Crichton, his wife Letitia Grace (nee Cole-Hamilton) and their children moved into Netley Castle in 1881, Mrs (Annie) Yorke moved into Hamble Cliff where she remained until her death in 1926.
Sir Harry, as he came to be known, substantially added to Netley Castle during his time there.
The architect, John Sedding, remodelled the castle between 1885 - 1890 creating a
Gothic-styled house adding another storey, heightening the tower, adding a new wing
and transforming the interior considerably.
Many of the oak planks used as floorboards were from HMS Lord Warden, the Royal Navy’s
heaviest ever wooden warship which was decommissioned in 1889.
There were substantial gardens, orchards, a pond and boathouse. There was also an Ice House.
Lord Baden Powell and his wife spent their honeymoon in 1912 at Netley Castle as the guests
of the Crichton Family.
Sir Harry passed away in late April 1922.
His second wife, Lady Emma remained at Netley Castle until she died in January 1936.
Netley Castle to be sold!
Netley Castle and grounds are up for sale - again - on the passing of Lady Emma Crichton in January last.
The Sale takes place on 24 September.
It was the home of the late Sir Harry Crichton and Lady Emma Crichton.
Hampshire Telegraph + Post, 04/09/1936
Castle Garden Fete
A Garden Fete was held in the grounds of Netley Castle by permission of
Col Charles Crichton, DSO.
It was organised by Miss H C Ross (Secretary) to raise money for the Hound and
Netley Nursing Association.
Portsmouth Evening News 17/06/1937
Cricket Field bought for the Village!
At a special meeting of the Hound and Netley Parish Council held last week, it was agreed to buy the Netley Castle Cricket Field which had belonged to the late Lady Emma Crichton for £1000.
Mr T H Denman, The Court, Netley Abbey has bought a piece of land adjoining
the Cricket Field and presented it to the Parish Council.
Hampshire Telegraph 27/08/1937
NAVY WEEK
Merchant Navy Week in Netley was held in connection with the
Winchester Rural District Merchant Navy Appeal.
It proved a big success, over £1,000 having been collected.
A drum-led service was held on the Sunday afternoon, in the Castle Recreation Ground, and was organised by the Parish Council and the Vicar, the Rev A J Beach.
Those participating included RAF, RAMC. ATS, WAAC, NFS, Civil Defence units, Merchant Navy.
Guides and Scouts, and the combined Sunday Schools of St Edward's and the Wesleyan Churches.
On the Monday, a Fete was held in the Netley Castle grounds, where over 7000 people attended
and a large amount of money was realised.
Many thanks are due to the organisers and helpers.
Four concerts were held, as well as whist drives and dances.
Hampshire Telegraph 13/08/1943
Netley Castle Convalescent Home passed into the control of the newly-formed National Health Service in 1948 and remained open for business, despite being expensive to maintain, until 1998.
en.wikipedia.org
Netley Castle and its beautiful grounds are still with us today.
The Castle building has been extensively modernised and converted into self-contained
apartments of various sizes.
In 2023, a 3-bedroom ground floor flat will set you back about £890k!
