Netley Abbey

Ian had to run some errands in Southampton yesterday, so taking advantage of the glorious weather we're currently experiencing after what seems like a month of solid rain, I decided to go with him in order to revisit Netley Abbey, which according to English Heritage who maintain the site, is the 'most complete surviving Cistercian Abbey in Southern England.' We first visited there a few years ago, on a fabulously frosty autumn morning when we had the place entirely to ourselves, but yesterday it seemed the warm weather had attracted a variety of people, some opting to have an impromtu picnic in the grounds of the ruins which, while nice to see, made photographing parts of it a little difficult. In this day and age, I'm always wary of not pointing my camera in the direction of children who aren't my own family for example, and there were plenty of them running around jumping off the ruined stumps of cloister pillars yesterday which brought a smile to my face. Some might see it as sacrilegious, but they seemed to be having such a great time it was hard not to delight in the adventures they looked to be having. Anyway, to the shrieks of uninhibited laughter, I wandered around parts of the abbey on my own, through beautiful arched remnants of once magnificent portals that lead off from the cloister;-

into the remains of the chapter house;-

more information, and a picture of how it must once have appeared, can be found here; http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/netley-abbey/history-and-research/chapter-house/ I've decided that I really have a 'thing' about portals. I've always been drawn to doors, windows and archways, particularly if they're in the gothic style. Maybe it's because they naturally draw the eye, perfectly framing the vistas beyond; views like the ruins of the Abbots Lodging which I photographed here;-

or more current, a different take on a modern dwelling;-

And what about all the nooks and crannies you find in such places? The parts of a ruin which leave you pondering their purpose: places such as this;-

what would have stood there in days gone by I wonder? A statue? A candle? An offering of some description? I like that it's now decorated simply with flowers grown from seeds the birds drop through the ghost of a roof of a once imposing building. And what about this, once magnificent window, difficult to photograph properly in the gloom, which gave wonderful respite from the heat of the day;-

As did the lush verges surrounding the Abbey, left as nature intended with froths of Queen Anne Lace, mixed in with what I think is blue speedwell, though unfortunately my knowledge of plants is quite limited.

I think I might invest in a small book on wild flowers to pop in my bag on my wanders, it would be lovely to properly put a name to some of the richness that makes our countryside such a delight.