Sir Norman Lockyer’s recent observations at the summer solstice have placed the date of erection at about 1680 B.C., and the discovery of flint implements beneath some Roman remains also points to neolithic times.  The upright stones and those resting upon them were originally all mortised and tenoned together, and from the fact that no similar stone is found nearer than Marlborough Downs the primitive men must have hauled the stones considerable distances by means of long leather ropes.  The small blue stones were possibly brought from Normandy.

Other stone circles and similar remains are to be seen at Avebury, Rollright, and Kit’s Coty House, a few miles from Rochester.  Also in Shropshire there is a district rich in stone circles and prehistoric remains.  This is in a line north of Bishops Castle and Shelve, and to those who appreciate wild scenery this part of the county may be specially recommended.

[Illustration:  STONEHENGE.

Looking towards the east from the altar stone.  The point on the horizon where the sun rises on June 21 is indicated by the small stone seen through the arches.]

NETLEY ABBEY

=How to get there.=—­Train from Waterloo via Southampton.  L. and
  S.W.  Railway.
=Nearest Station.=—­Netley (about a mile from the abbey). =Distance from London.=—­82-1/4 miles. =Average Time.=—­Varies between 2-3/4 to 4-1/2 hours.

                     1st 2nd 3rd
=Fares.=—­Single 13s. 6d. 8s. 6d. 6s. 9-1/2d. 
          Return 23s. 10d. 15s. 0d. 12s. 3d.

=Accommodation Obtainable.=—­“Royal Hotel,” “Radley’s Hotel,”
  “Dolphin,” “South-Western,” etc., Southampton (3 miles from
  Netley).

Netley is a small village on Southampton Water, about 3 miles south-east of the town of Southampton.  It is famous for the ruins of Netley Abbey, which are not far from the shore, in a wooded and picturesque nook.  The abbey is supposed to have been founded by Peter des Roches, Bishop of Winchester in Henry III.’s reign, and the monks belonged to the Cistercian order.  It was neither a rich nor famous establishment, and the monks possessed but one book, Cicero’s Treaty on Rhetoric.  Since the Dissolution the abbey has belonged to many different families.  Only the walls are now standing, but enough remains to show how beautiful it once was.  The buildings formed a square of which the south wall of the church formed the side opposite the entrance.  Various buildings in connection with the monastery formed the rest of the quadrangle, which was known as Fountain Court.  The kitchen is still roofed in, although it has lost its stone groining.  Other buildings are, conjecturally, the buttery and the refectory.  Near the kitchen is a curious underground passage leading to the castle (erected by Henry VIII.), which stands nearer the shore than the abbey.  It is thought to be a drain.