Southampton's Legacy

It was our first day in Southampton and a bit chilly. I thought I'd just have a quick look around town then head to the shopping area to try to find a sweater. I didn't travel very far, but what I found was wonderful. Our flat is on the high street so I started there. At the end of the block I found Holy Rood church or, rather, the remains of Holy Rood church. Holy Rood means Holy Cross in Saxon so it is possible that the original church dated back to before the time of William the Conqueror. The first church stood on an island in the middle of the High Street, directly in front of its present location. It was rebuilt on its present site, on the east side of High Street in 1320 after the original church had fallen into disrepair.

What remains is a testimony to the resilience of the people of Southampton. Before you even enter the church, there are things to see. The three-sided bench gives a brief history of the church then tells visitors of the origin of the verse on its third side. The words are taken from a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson's, Crossing the Bar:

"Twilight and evening bell, and after that the dark! And may there be no sadness of farewell, when I embark..."

According to the legend on another side of the bench, sailors, in past centuries, believed that their departed souls resided in seabirds like the gannets pictured in the paving mosaics.

Once inside, the empty church reveals itself as a memorial for sailors, Southampton during the blitz, and the Titanic. There are memorial tablets imbedded in the wall commemorating those killed or lost at sea and during the first and second World Wars.

As you approach the area that once held the altar,

you can see that the gates in front of it are full of small metal sculptures of gannets.

A lot of the details of the altar are still visible.

To the right of the gates is a pillar with buttons. When pressed, each audio recording tells a story of the various subjects displayed.

They are all really fascinating and authentic, as the stories are mostly told by the people who experienced the events. Particularly moving were the stories about the blitz of 1940. Old people who were children at the time describe how the buildings on the high street were bombed, including Holy Rood church which took a direct hit. One very haunting story told of the fires raging in the bell tower. Eventually the steeple toppled and sparks and flames shot out of the top like fireworks. The timber beams holding the bells started to buckle, causing the bells to rings wildly as though crying out for help until they were suddenly silenced when the beams gave way and the bells came crashing down. One woman spoke of seeing two men carrying something in a blanket that looked quite heavy. It turned out to be the lectern which was carried to St. Michael's church. St. Michael's was not hit during the blitz because, allegedly, the German bombers used its spire as a landmark and their pilots where ordered not to hit it. I sat on the steps and listened to each of the recordings which were quite long, vivid, very detailed, and so very moving.

At the other end of the church is a memorial to the Titanic, which sailed out of Southampton.

Another audio pillar offered stories about its all-too-brief history.

Many stories were told by children who were survivors of the tragedy. Again, it was terribly moving. That the Southampton City Council installed this is to be lauded. It makes real, and very personal, something which is probably better remembered by its film representation.

A bit further down the high street is the anchor from the old QE II cruise ship.

As I walked down the street, I thought that these might be among the few buildings that escaped the blitz of 1940. One of the recordings about the blitz related how the buildings erected to replace those lost had no personality and could be found in any city in England. Losing the lovely old buildings robbed Southampton of so much personality.

A bit further down the high street is the Bargate, which is a medieval gatehouse constructed in Norman times as part of the Southampton town walls. In 1809 a statue of George III in Roman dress was added to the middle of the four windows of this, the southern side. It replaced a wooden statue of Queen Anne. Poor old Queen Anne, vanquished by the patriarchy.

Though the back is quite plain, the front is rather more impressive

with its pair of lions which have guarded the gatehouse since the early 1600s.

The Bargate was built c. 1180, constructed of stone and flint, and is in remarkable condition. By 1899, the increase in road traffic and the introduction of trams led to proposals for the Bargate's demolition but it was spared. The Bargate was, however, eventually separated from the adjoining town walls in the 1930s.

It's possible to walk the walls near the Bargate,

though you don't get much for your trouble other than a view of the West Quay mall.

Atop the wall there's a statue of John Le Fleming, mayor of Southampton from 1295 to 1336.

I did find a sweater at the West Quay mall; it would have been hard not to, since it's an enormous place, a real temple of consumerism. I have to give it a couple extra points for its use of street art on the walls.

My short walk around the high street area of Southampton ended up being far longer and more interesting that I had imagined. I think I'll go back to Holy Rood again before we leave just to listen to those marvelous stories again.