Geo-Trips :: Southampton's old town and cruise docks
Southampton
A walk from Southampton, Sat, 28 Jun 2014 by Rudi Winter
Basher Eyre took us on a guided tour of Southampton's old town. Starting at the station, we walked past the Civic Centre towards the town walls. After seeing an interesting mural summarising Southampton's history in Hamtun Street and hearing about Southampton's oldest church, St Michael's, we saw a number of preserved buildings such as a mediaeval wine merchant's house and the Duke of Wellington pub, passed by the Mayflower memorial and the offices of the Red Funnel ferry company. The tour ended at the ruins of Holy Rood church (now a war memorial), from where we left for tapas in Oxford Street.
After the meal, the group scattered and I continued on my own past Bar Gate and the castle wall down to the City Cruise terminal for a close-up of one of the largest passenger ships ever built. After following the Quay roads and the remnants of the town walls at the southern tip of the old town in bright sunshine, I was chased back to the car by an approaching wall of black cloud. I just made it in time!
On the map below, the grey line is the GPS track from this trip. Click the blue circles to see a photograph taken from that spot and read further information about the location. The blue lines indicate the direction of view. There is also a slideshow of this trip. ( )
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Western Esplanade, Southampton
A slightly chaotic road junction at the edge of the Civic Centre. Western... more
Wyndham Court estate
The newer eastern section of the Wyndham Court estate towers over the railway... more
Geograph-ers setting out for a bash
On the morning after the conference, we met at Southampton station for a guided... more
Southampton Civic Centre
Built in the early 1930s to house the Borough Council, the complex is now a... more
Footbridge in the town wall
In recent times, the threat level from marauding hordes from Portsmouth or other... more
Western wall, Southampton
This part of the town wall is essentially a retaining wall separating the higher... more
A message for sponsors, users and contributors
The "Pay here" sign http://www.geograph.org.uk/help/donate points at a... more
Mural in Hamtun Street, Southampton
Hamtun Street is named after the original settlement from which the modern city's... more
St Michael's Church, Southampton
Part of the Church of England's Southampton City Centre parish. The oldest part... more
Replica barge beneath Southampton town wall
A modern replica of the kind of sailing vessel that would have brought goods into... more
Mayflower Roundabout and cruise ship
West Quay, Town Quay and the Western Esplanade meet at this roundabout, which... more
Looking down Bugle Street towards the Isle of Wight ferry
The house on the left, with the lettering over the entrance, is the headquarters... more
Duke of Wellington pub, Southampton
One of the few old houses still standing in the area. It's very dark inside, but... more
Medieval merchant's house
Looking a bit out of place amongst the surrounding blocks of flats, a medieval... more
Southampton Archaeology Unit
Part of Southampton City Council, the archaeology unit is consulted whenever land... more
Small public garden in High Street
It's nice to see pretty public spaces being looked after well even in times of... more
Anchor from Queen Elizabeth 2
Located on High Street, just outside the ruins of Holy Rood church, which is a... more
Bar Gate, Southampton
The main entrance into the medieval walled town of Southampton. The 'bar' refers... more
Castle Wall, Southampton
There is only a small stretch of the castle wall preserved at the northern end of... more
Associated British Ports - Gate No.8
Associated British Port operates 21 ports in the UK, from Swansea to Immingham and... more
Associated British Ports - Gate No.8
The townward entrance gate leads to the City and Mayflower cruise terminals as... more
Berth 101, Southampton Docks
Looking up the River Test from Mayflower Park. The cruise ship ahead is the... more
Southampton quays
Looking down the River Test and Southampton Water from Mayflower Park. The... more
Berth 101
People enjoy a pleasant sunny afternoon despite the storm brewing inland, which... more
Ice cream van in Mayflower Park
A sunny Saturday afternoon by the sea, an unmissable business opportunity for Mr... more
Red Funnel car ferry terminal
The access road leads to the ferry pier after a sharp right turn. The Red Funnel... more
Cruise ship on Ocean Dock
Seen across the extensive car parks for passengers, the Ruby Princess... more
God's House Gate
One of the sea-facing gates in the town wall of Southampton, God's House Gate is... more
Southampton town wall
This picture shows the full length of the northern section of Southampton's town... more
All images © Rudi Winter and available under a
Creative Commons licence 
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