Located at the head of busy Southampton Water and between the Rivers Test and Itchen, Southampton is a maritime city, major port and cruise capital of the UK.
Numerous opportunities to get out on the water include charters and cruises, for example on Shieldhall, Britain’s largest working steamship, and watersports tuition, available through the likes of Southampton Water Activities and Solent Boat Training.
Major maritime organisations based in the city include: British Marine, the national organisation for the leisure, superyacht and small commercial marine industry; the Maritime and Coastguard agency; the National Oceanography Centre; and Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute.
Although container ships and cruise liners often dominate the city’s skyline, Ocean Village provides a more glamorous waterside view. Harbour Hotel nudges its prow of a dining deck into the yacht marina, and HarBar on the Hotel’s sixth floor is surely the place to relax with a sundowner; you could almost persuade yourself you were in the Mediterranean.
Ongoing regeneration of Southampton’s centre includes the Maritime Gateway development with a new promenade linking the station to the waterfront. In addition, plans have been submitted this year to transform Town Quay, including a marina and new passenger terminal for the Red Jet ferry.
Such regeneration will hopefully be sympathetic to Southampton’s historic heritage. Check out its medieval town walls which are some of the best-preserved in the country and provide a backdrop to The Esplanade, a public event space adjacent to Westquay shopping centre. There’s 15th century timber-framed Tudor House, Southampton’s oldest museum. The Duke of Wellington is a wonky 15th century pub built on 13th century cellars, and the Dancing Man Brewery is located in the only surviving freestanding medieval warehouse in Southampton.
Far from the waterfront, hidden away in one of Southampton’s biggest estates, is Southampton City Farm: five acres of nurturing green space managed by Tom Kitcher, who initially undertook work experience at the Farm while studying for a degree in animal science.
Tom says: ‘People don’t expect the Farm to be here. I live just across the road and even my neighbour didn’t know it was here! This is like finding an escape.’
This special place is home to a variety of chickens, ducks, goats, guinea pigs, pigs, rabbits and reptiles - many of them rehomed or rescued, including the oldest resident, Penny the Pig, rescued from someone’s back garden. There’s a café, a new productive garden, plus an outdoor classroom and shelter opening this September, thanks to the work of volunteers and support from local businesses.
The Farm is part of Oasis, a national charity with a focus on transforming communities. As such the Farm delivers a variety of activities through community initiatives, therapeutic education and youth programmes. Tom and his team work with over 30 schools, and there’s a dementia café, too, introduced in response to community feedback. The Farm is also open to the public every weekend with feeds and talks scheduled throughout each day.
Post pandemic, the increasing awareness of young people’s mental health and the need for green spaces has seen the number of people accessing the Farm’s amenities double. Help and donations are therefore essential, particularly as animal feed costs have risen considerably, and while their volunteers are a great asset, they are always looking for additional help.
Tom says: ‘This place offers so much; it boosts people’s wellbeing. It has transformed my life and now I get to help transform other people’s lives… It is so good to see people leave with smiles on their faces!’
GO! Southampton is on a mission to improve the city experience for residents, visitors and workers. Established in 2017, GO! Southampton is the city centre’s BID (Business Improvement District) with a role to deliver services, influence strategy and be a catalyst for positive change. The BID’s programme of work includes public art and ‘animating’ the city centre. To this end GO! Southampton has worked with Light the South to create this summer’s lighthouse trail across the city, attracting some 250,000 visitors. The BID also fund and manage the Visit Southampton website, enabling people to access helpful information on where to go and what to do.
Stephen Manion, Executive Director, GO! Southampton, describes another new initiative. ‘Working in partnership with ABP (Associated British Ports) Southampton, we recently launched our Welcome Volunteer Programme, in which a group of local enthusiasts are on hand in the port to give thousands of cruise passengers a warm welcome to the city. We want visitors to explore our museums, galleries and the city’s rich history as well as discovering our fantastic shops and eateries. Over the summer our volunteers have been dedicated to enhancing the visitor experience; we hope to grow this programme over coming months.”
