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City in Hampshire, England

Southampton

Southampton waved off the Titanic and the Mayflower, and built the Spitfire. Few cities have launched so many famous journeys.

Southampton
Photo: David Martin, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Key information

County
Hampshire
Nation
England
Population
About 249,000 (2021 Census)
Known for
Britain's cruise-ship port, the Titanic's departure, the Mayflower, the Spitfire and its medieval walls
What locals are called
Sotonians
Famous people
Isaac Watts, Benny Hill, Craig David
Football clubs
Southampton FC (the Saints)

About Southampton

The city that said goodbye to the Titanic

On 10 April 1912 the Titanic slipped out of Southampton on her maiden voyage. The city was far more than a departure point, because so many of her crew lived here. Whole streets in areas such as Chapel and Northam lost fathers, sons and brothers when she sank. The loss shaped the city for a generation. Today the SeaCity Museum tells the story from a local angle, and memorials around the city remember the ship's engineers and other crew. The Titanic wasn't even Southampton's most famous sailing. In August 1620 the Mayflower and the smaller Speedwell left the port, carrying Pilgrims bound for the New World. Trouble with the Speedwell forced stops at Dartmouth and Plymouth before the Mayflower finally crossed the Atlantic.

Why the water here seems to go high twice

Southampton's position at the head of Southampton Water, sheltered by the Isle of Wight, gives it a quirk that sailors have always valued. The tide has a prolonged double high water, which gives ships extra time to enter and leave the harbour. That natural advantage helped turn a medieval wool and wine port into one of Britain's great docks. Cunard ships such as the Queen Mary 2 sail from here, and the city is the country's busiest cruise port. On a sailing day, liners the size of tower blocks glide past the shore as if they were ferries.

Giants on the gate

Southampton still has big stretches of its medieval town walls, and the grandest part is the Bargate, a gateway whose oldest parts date from the 12th century. It once served as a guildhall and a prison. The gate is linked to the legend of Sir Bevois of Hampton, a knight said to have beaten a giant called Ascapart. The two figures are painted on the Bargate's walls, and the story is also remembered in the name of Bevois Valley. Nearby, God's House Tower and the Tudor House and Garden museum add to a medieval quarter that survived heavy bombing in the Second World War better than you might expect.

Where the Spitfire took shape

R. J. Mitchell designed the Spitfire at the Supermarine works in Woolston, Southampton, and the prototype first flew on 5 March 1936 from nearby Eastleigh. The factories were such an obvious target that the Luftwaffe bombed them in September 1940, and the city suffered badly in the Blitz. The aviation story sits beside a long maritime one, since Supermarine began as a seaplane maker. Southampton is also home to Ordnance Survey, Britain's national mapping agency, which moved its headquarters from the Tower of London to Southampton in 1841.

Saints, Sotonians and a few famous names

Southampton FC began in 1885 as St Mary's Church of England Young Men's Association, which is why the club are still the Saints. They played at The Dell from 1898 to 2001 and now play at St Mary's Stadium. The club's greatest day came in 1976, when they beat Manchester United 1-0 in the FA Cup Final, with Bobby Stokes scoring. Matt Le Tissier, a Channel Islands-born attacking midfielder adored on the south coast, became a symbol of the club for many years. Gareth Bale and Theo Walcott both began their careers at the club. The city has produced plenty of other talent. Isaac Watts, born here in 1674, wrote hymns including Joy to the World. Benny Hill was born in Southampton in 1924, and the garage singer Craig David followed in 1981. Jane Austen lived in the city for a few years from 1806, though she was not a native. The University of Southampton, which grew from the Hartley Institution and gained university status in 1952, keeps the city young. Every September the Southampton International Boat Show fills the waterfront with yachts and sailing fans.

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