Southampton Tourist Guide Jane Austen Trail

Southampton Tourist Information

Much of Southampton was bombed during the Second World War which left the way free for the city to develop a modern infrastructure. Unfortunately this also saw some of the historic features demolished but a good deal still survives.

Southampton city centre is split between Above Bar and Below Bar. "Bar" relates to Bargate, the medieval town gate that is a useful landmark in the centre of town. Most of the historic attractions and the waterfront are Below Bar. Above Bar is where you'll find the main shopping centres, university buildings, art galleries, theatres and parks.

The Tourist Information Office is Above Bar just opposite the Civic Centre and within easy walking distance of the train and bus stations. Here you can buy the useful city street map as well as find a plethora of information on things to do in and around the city. The walking trails like the Jane Austen Trail and the Titanic Trail will take you around the majority of the city's visitor attractions and provide some useful background as to how Southampton has developed through the centuries.

Southampton Tourist Information Centre, 9 Civic Centre Road, Southampton SO14 7FJ. Tel: 023 8083 3333. Fax: 023 8083 3381. Email: tourist.information@southampton.gov.uk

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Jane Austen Walking Trail Southampton

Jane Austen first visited Southampton when she was just 7 years old and she holidayed here with her sister and cousin. However, she spent more time in the city later in her life and you can find out all about the places she lived and visited by following the Jane Austen Heritage Trail. A leaflet is available from the Tourist Information Office.

Unfortunately Jane's father died while they were living in Bath and after some time her mother decided to return to Hampshire in 1807 and resettled in Southampton where one of Jane's brothers, Frank, was a captain in the Royal Navy. The Austen women: Mrs Austen, Jane, her sister Cassandra and Martha Lloyd who lived with them since her own mother's death moved into a house rented from the Marquess of Lansdowne in Castle Square in Southampton. The house no longer stands and is thought to have been where the Bosun's Locker pub now stands. The Austens lived here from 1807 to 1809 and the square between the houses and pub is thought to have changed little since that time.

Behind the West Quay shopping centre at Arundel Circus is where the Spa Gardens fountain and botanical gardens once stood and where Jane Austen and her family took their daily walk. Another popular route that is likely to have been part of the Austens' walk is along town walls at Town Quay to The Platform at the end of Winkle Street. It is believed that while in Southampton Jane Austen attended dances at The Long Rooms which used to stand just off the Esplanade and The Dolphin Hotel which continues to act as a hotel on the High Street. The ballroom with its bow windows on the first floor was the scene of the 1808 winter assembly which Jane Austen attended. It is also thought that Jane's brother, Frank, brought her to a dance here to celebrate her eighteenth birthday in 1793.

Other famous visitors who have stayed at the Dolphin Hotel include Admiral Lord Nelson, William Makepeace Thackeray who wrote Pendennis here, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor and Orson Wells whose bath fell through the ceiling when he stepped into it! There has been an inn or hotel on the site since at least the Middle Ages and consequently it is perhaps unsurprising that the hotel is also reputed to be haunted by six ghosts!

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Southampton History Bargate Titanic

Although Southampton is often thought of as a modern city there is a surprising amount of its historic sights remaining all around the centre. Southampton suffered heavily in World War II bombings, but amazingly there is still around half the length of the old town walls stretching from the modern shopping centre! The towns' museums have fantastic archaeological collections dating from Roman, Saxon and medieval times. Bargate is one of the most impressive remnants of the old walls although it looks slightly incongruous in the middle of Southampton's shopping centre!

Southampton, having long been a centre for shipbuilding, was the location where the Mayflower was prepared for the Pilgrim Fathers on which they made their epic journey to America.

Southampton first developed its shipbuilding industry in the Middle Ages when the king's demand for a naval fleet was increased by the Hundred Years War. Southampton remained an important port through the centuries with Vosper Thorneycroft being the largest shipbuilder and employer in the town. They built ships from destroyers and ferries to luxury yachts.

In the nineteenth century the passenger liner business developed with White Start Line and Cunard both making their base here. Despite the Titanic sinking in 1912 that affected a huge proportion of the families in Southampton, the passenger liner business continued going strong until it's peak in the 1930s and was a major employer for the city. Southampton's Maritime Museum has some fascinating displays about the shipbuilding industry and also contains a Titanic Exhibition that brings home the personal aspects of the tragedy. Solent Sky Aviation Museum looks at the variety of inventions and innovations that stemmed from the Southampton area.

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Southampton Art Galleries City Art Gallery Millais The Guildhall

As you'd expect from a university town Southampton has a thriving arts scene. It is home to several art galleries specialising in contemporary art attracting works from all over the world as well as showcasing local up and coming artists.

If live entertainment is more your thing then there are two theatres to tempt you with independent productions using local talent at The Nuffield Theatre to international stars and West End musicals at The Mayflower Theatre.

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Theatres and Cinema in Southampton

Southampton has everything you could want to keep you entertained at night. For live entertainment there are two theatres to tempt you. Independent productions using local talent are hosted at The Nuffield Theatre while international stars and West End musicals are regulars at The Mayflower Theatre.

For film and cinema you have a choice of three cinemas which between them show all the latest blockbusters as well as the more independent art house screenings.

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