Southampton Central inc. River Itchen

History

Archaeological finds suggest that the area has been permanently inhabited since the stone age. The Romans established a gateway settlement known as Clausentum, shortly after their invasion of Britain in AD 43.[10] It was an important trading port, at the site of modern Bitterne Manor, and was not abandoned until around 410.

The Anglo-Saxons formed a new, larger, settlement across the Itchen centred on what is now the St Mary's area of the city. The settlement was known as Hamwic, which evolved into Hamtun and then Hampton. Archeological excavations of this site have uncovered one of the best collections of Saxon artifacts in Europe.

Viking raids from 840 onwards contributed to the decline of Hamwic in the 9th century, and by the 10th century, a fortified settlement, which became Medieval Southampton had been established.

Following the Norman Conquest in 1066, Southampton became the major port of transit between the then capital of England, Winchester, and Normandy. Southampton Castle was built in the 12th century and by the 13th century, Southampton had become a leading port, particularly involved in the trade of French Wine in exchange for English cloth and wool.

Surviving remains of 12th Century merchants' houses such as King John's House and Canute's Palace are evidence of the wealth that existed in the town at this time. In 1348, the Black Death reached England via merchant vessels calling at Southampton.

The town was sacked in 1338 by the French, including the pirate Rainier Grimaldi, who used the plunder to help found the principality of Monaco. After this attack, the city's walls—part of which dates from 1175—were extensively added to and reinforced. A large part of the town's walls remain today.

The city walls include God's House Tower, built in 1417, the first purpose-built artillery fortification in England. Over the years it has been used as home to the city's gunner, the Town Gaol and even as storage for the Southampton Harbour Board. Today, it is open as the Museum of Archaeology. The walls were completed in the 15th century, but later development of several new fortifications along Southampton Water and the Solent by Henry VIII, meant that Southampton was no longer dependent upon its fortifications.

In 1642, during the English Civil War, a Parliamentary garrison moved into Southampton. The Royalists advanced as far as Redbridge in March 1644 but were prevented from taking the town.

During the Middle Ages, shipbuilding became an important industry for the town. Henry V famous warship Grace Dieu was built in Southampton. Walter Taylors 18th century mechanisation of the block-making process was a significant step in the Industrial Revolution. From 1904 to 2004, the Thornycroft shipbuilding yard was a major employer in Southampton, building and repairing ships used in the two World Wars.

Prior to King Henry V of England's departure for the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the ringleaders of the "Southampton Plot" - Richard, Earl of Cambridge, Henry Scrope, 3rd Baron Scrope of Masham and Sir Thomas Grey of Heton were accused of high treason and tried at what is now the Red Lion public house in the High Street. They were found guilty and summarily executed outside the Bargate.

Southampton has been used for military embarkation, also fulfilling that role during 18th Century wars with the French, the Crimean war, and the Boer War. Southampton was designated No. 1 Military Embarkation port during the Great War and became a major centre for treating the returning wounded and POWs. It was also central to the preparations for the Invasion of Europe in 1944.

Southampton became a spa town in 1740. It had also become a popular site for sea bathing by the 1760s, despite the lack of a good quality beach. Innovative buildings specifically for this purpose were built at West Quay, with baths that were filled and emptied by the flow of the tide.

The town experienced major expansion during the Victorian era. The Southampton Docks company had been formed in 1835. In October 1838 the foundation stone of the docks was laid and the first dock opened in 1842. The structural and economic development of docks continued for the next few decades. The railway link to London was fully opened in May 1840. Southampton subsequently became known as The Gateway to the Empire.

The port was the point of departure for the Pilgrim Fathers aboard the Mayflower in 1620. In 1912 the RMS Titanic sailed from Southampton. Many of the crew on-board the vessel were Sotonians, with about a third of those who perished in the tragedy hailing from the city. Southampton was subsequently the home port for the transatlantic passenger services operated by Cunard and their Blue Riband liner RMS Queen Mary and her sister ship RMS Queen Elizabeth. In 1938, Southampton docks also became home to the flying boats of Imperial Airways. Southampton Container Terminals first opened in 1968 and has continued to expand.

The Supermarine Spitfire was designed and developed in Southampton, evolving from the Schneider trophy winning seaplanes of the 1920s and 1930s. Heavy bombing of the factory in September 1940 destroyed it and homes in the vicinity, killing civilians and workers. World War II hit Southampton particularly hard because of its strategic importance as a major commercial port and industrial area. Prior to the Invasion of Europe, components for Mulberry Harbour were built here. After D-Day, Southampton docks handled military cargo to help keep the Allied forces supplied, making it a key target of Luftwaffe bombing raids until late 1944.

Pockets of Georgian architecture survived the war, but much of the city was levelled. There has been extensive redevelopment since World-War II. Increasing traffic congestion in the 1920s led to partial demolition of medieval walls around the Bargate in 1932 and 1938. However a large portion of those walls remain standing today, leaving Southampton with one of the longest surviving remnants of medieveal walls in the country.

A Royal Charter in 1952 upgraded University College at Highfield to the University of Southampton. Southampton acquired city status becoming the City of Southampton in 1964.

Geography and climate

The geography of Southampton is very much influenced by the sea and rivers. The city sits at the northern tip of the Southampton Water, a deepwater estuary, which is a ria formed at the end of the last Ice Age. Here, the rivers Test and Itchen converge. The Test - which has saltmarsh that make it ideal for Salmon fishing - runs along the Western edge of the city, while the Itchen splits Southampton in two - east and west. The city centre is located on the peninsula between the two rivers.

Much of the waterfront has been reclaimed over the years, mainly for use as the Western Docks. Most of the land used for reclamation came from dredging of Southampton Water, to ensure that the port can continue to handle some of the largest ships in the world. The shape of the coastline gives rise to a natural phenomena in Southampton, known as the double tide. This gives the port a much longer high tide period than other ports, making the movement of large ships easier.

The River Test runs along the western border of the city, separating it from the New Forest. There are a number of bridges over the Test from Southampton, including the road and rail bridges at Redbrige in the south and the M27 motorway to the north. The River Itchen, Hampshire runs through the middle of the city and is bridged at in several places. The northernmost bridge, and the first to be built, is at Mansbridge, where the A27 road crosses the Itchen. The original bridge is closed to road traffic, but is still standing and open to pedestrians and cyclists. The river is bridged again at Swaythling, where Woodmill Bridge separates the tidal and non tidal sections of the river. Further south is Cobden Bridge which is notable as it was opened as a free bridge (it was originally named the Cobden Free Bridge), and was never a toll bridge. Downstream of the Cobden Bridge is the Northam Railway Bridge, then the Northam Road Bridge, which was the first major pre-stressed concrete bridge to be constructed in the United Kingdom. The southernmost bridge on the Itchen is the Itchen Bridge, which is a toll bridge.

Marine Matters.

Southampton has always been connected with maritime matters, and the docks have long been a major employer in the city. In particular, it is a port for cruise ships, its heyday being the first half of the 20th century, and in particular the inter-war years, when it handled almost half the passenger traffic of the UK. Today it remains home to luxury cruise ships, as well as being the largest freight port on the Channel coast and fourth largest UK port by tonnage, with several container terminals. Unlike some other ports, such as Liverpool, London, and Bristol, where industry and docks have largely moved out of the city centres leaving room for redevelopment, Southampton retains much of its inner-city industry. Part of the docks have been redeveloped, however, as the Ocean Village development, a local marina and entertainment complex. Southampton is home to the headquarters of both the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and of the Marine Accident Investigation Branch of the Department for Transport.

Culture.

The city is home to the second longest medieval walls in England that are still standing, as well as a number of museums such as Tudor House, The Maritime Museum and Solent Sky, which focuses on aviation. The annual Southampton Boat Show is held in September each year, with over 600 exhibitors present. It runs for just over a week at Mayflower Park on the city's waterfront, where it has been held since 1968. The Boat Show itself is the climax of Sea City, which runs from April to September each year to celebrate Southampton's links with the sea.

Southampton has been voted one of the best places to live in the UK for single people aged 18 to 30, owing to its low cost of living, wide array of bars and clubs and cheap transport. Women voted it second best behind London, while men rated it as seventh.

There are many well-established music venues, including The Brook, The Talking Heads, The Soul Cellar, The Turner Sims Concert Hall and The Joiners. The Joiners has played host to acts as Oasis, Radiohead, Green Day, Suede, P J Harvey, The Manic Street Preachers, Coldplay, The Libertines and Franz Ferdinand. The city is home to R'n'B soulstar Craig David, Coldplay drummer Will Champion. There are many famous 'Sotonians' including Jane Austen and Danny La Rue and it was the birthplace of comedian Benny Hill.

The largest theatre in the city is the 2,300 capacity Mayflower Theatre, which hosts a number of West End shows, such as Les Miserables, The Rocky Horror Show and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. There is also the Nuffield Theatre based at the University of Southampton's Higfield campus. The city is home to several art galleries, including the council run gallery at the Civic Centre, The Art House in Bedford Place and Spice Arts in Bitterne Triangle.

Cunard & Culture

The city is deeply connected to the Cunard Line and their fleet of ships; which are the only passenger vessels to be registered in this city (and thus wear the name "Southampton" on the stern). The people of Southampton showed their deep connection to Cunard on November 11th, 2008 when the Cunard Liner Queen Elizabeth 2 departed the city for the final time amid a spectacular fireworks display after a full day of celebrations.

Cunard's European office is located on Terminus Terrace in Southampton and the company has first rights to the famous Queen Elizabeth II Passenger Terminal for their fleet of ships.

The text on this HISTORY page is covered by the following licence

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Documentation_License