Abbey Architectural Memory Walk: Netley Abbey

Creativity Walk - Architectural memory: exploring the ruins of Netley through storytelling and the senses

Explore the centuries old Netley Abbey using your senses on this heritage-art-nature walk with artist and researcher Lucie Smith of ZEST Collective. Through touch, sound, smell and sight we’ll investigate the tales and lore of the Abbey, considering what remains and who might have passed through its walls.

You’ll be encouraged to look closely at the stones’ surfaces to discover traces of humans past, where we’ll make rubbings using graphite and paper as a form of documentation beyond photography and sight.

We’ll explore the often overlooked details of ruined monuments, thinking about how nature prevails and what this can symbolise. Throughout the walk we’ll discover hidden sounds and life growing in unexpected places, acknowledging nature’s role within the site and the stories ancient trees and plants might be able to share with us.

On the day

We will meet outside Netley Railway Station. what3words.com///forum.gift.cattle

The closest bus stops can be found on St Marys Road, served by the Bluestar 15 Bluestar 15 timetable and Stagecoach 49H Stagecoach 49H timetable. Cycle Parking and Car Parking at the station is free of charge.

The Abbey is around a 20 minute walk from the station (1.5km)

The walk is a total of 2.5 hours to include time for walking to and from the abbey and plenty of time to explore the abbey grounds.

Please wear suitable walking shoes and bring along:

• a bottle of water
• a camera or phone
• a bag to take your rubbish home
• an umbrella, waterproofs or sunhat/suncream (depending on the weather).
• anything else that’ll make you feel more comfortable.

We will end the walk back at Netley Station.

Please Note:

Walk grade: Medium

Who should attend: Adults only. Sorry pets are not allowed to join a led walk unless they are a guide or assistance dog.

Child friendly: No, over 18s only

Walk distance: 3.5km

Facilities: There are no toilets at Netley Station. There are toilets at Abbey Hall Recreation Ground which is a short walk from the Abbey.

Access: Most of the route is on the pavement. Netley Abbey itself is mostly flat grass. There are steps and uneven surfaces throughout the ruins, but wheelchair access is possible for most of the site. Some gentle slopes, seating without backs or armrests.

About the Artist

Lucie is a conceptual artist, educator and researcher based in Southampton. Through art she explores innate connections between the human condition and the landscape. She believes deeply in the healing power of nature.

Lucie is currently studying a Masters in Contemporary Art and Archaeology with the University of the Highlands. Ongoing research explores ancestral lineage, narratives of women lost in the archives and the ways in which the ‘in-between’ of past and present can be materialised.

Lucie works with communities, organisations and individuals around Hampshire. She studied her BA in Fine Art at Arts University Plymouth and regularly exhibits in Hampshire and beyond.