Interest Antiquity in Southampton

Off I go for a historic stroll

Fall colours in Southampton

So I had to go to Southampton to get a National Insurance Number.  This was a bit of a pain in the you know what.  In Canada you just send away for one and they send you one in the mail.  But I guess here in Britain, they had started having to interview some people who were coming into the country from other countries, and because of some discrepancies, they had to make sure they were truly eligible for a National Insurance Number.  As such, they felt it was perhaps unfair to only interview some people and not others, so now everyone gets interviewed.

Through the thick wall I go to find the medieval remains on the other side ...

Anyway, since it required me taking the day and a trip to Southampton, I thought I would use the opportunity to do a little sight-seeing, and I’m glad I did.  Pretty cool place from a historical perspective, this Southampton.

Antiquity dwarfed by modernity (is that a word??)

Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated 121 km south-west of London and 31 km north-west of Portsmouth, to be precise! Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest. It lies at the confluence of the River Test and River Itchen (I’m itchin’ to tell you something :),with the River Hamble joining to the south of the urban area.

Hey, open up the gate, open up the gate, the enemy is coming !!!!

The city itself has an estimated population of 239,700. Southampton combines with Portsmouth to form a single metropolitan area; with a population of over a million this makes the region one of the United Kingdom’s most populous metropolitan areas. The city’s name is sometimes abbreviated in writing to “So’ton” or “Soton”, and a resident of Southampton is called a Sotonian.

The oldest church built in 1000s I think, or maybe 1100s. But it is the only church that survived the bombings in WWII. And stands as a testament of survival.

It is a major cruise port, and Southampton is noted for its association with the Titanic, the Spitfire and more recently a number of the largest cruise ships in the world.  In the 10th century a fortified settlement was established, which became medieval Southampton.  Southampton castle was built in the 12th century and by the 13th century it was a leading port city.

One of the many cruise ships

In the 1300s, after the town was sacked by the French, the rebuilding of the walls was ordered.  Roughly half of the walls, 13 of the original towers, and six gates survive.  Now that is pretty cool.  And it is those walls that I followed.  They have done a good job with the signage and giving you the ability to walk on the walls.  Plenty of plaques provide you with the history.

From the wall, a cruise ship in the distance

God's Tower

I wanted to walk the entire system of walls, but unfortunately, due to Hurricane Sandy, we were getting the vestiges of the storm and I was forced to get back to the train.

The old tudor house - now a museum

Southampton became a spa city in the 1700s and there are plaques again through out the city as Jane Austen used to come here with her family.  The port was the point of departure for the Mayflower and also for the Titanic in 1912.  It is actually amazing how much of the medieval walls still stand given Southampton’s role in the wars and the bombing it received.

Strolling through the park

I didn’t really get a good sense of the city.  There were large shopping malls and major big box stores like Ikea and John Lewis.  There is the university still and given its historic centre and its function as the only southern port receiving cruise ships, it has a bit of an eclectic feel to it.

Jane Austen was here too

I really must get back there in better weather for a complete tour of the history and to get a better sense of its personality.  However, if just for the walls alone, it is worth visiting.

The old city inside the walls. This is at the south end.

Ruins ... need I say more