This photo is of the ruins of Netley Abbey in Hampshire, which was founded around 1239. It housed a colony of Cistercians from nearby Beaulieu Abbey and is the most complete Cistercian monastery in Southern England. In the year of 1536, Henry VIII suppressed the lesser monasteries so Netley Abbey had just seven monks living there but they were to leave as the land & buildings could be changed into a mansion and this involved knocking down certain parts of the monastery so that the new owner, Sir William Paulet, could have land and buildings that reflected his status.
Over the years It has been stated that this building is haunted by an Abbot and a monk, There have been reports of chanting being heard from the building so it had somewhat of a haunted reputation. This photo was taken in 2005 by photographer Andrew Nicholson and he hadn't noticed the figure until a few years later when archiving his photos onto his computer.
Is this a figure of a monk who once resided here or could it just be a member of the public?
