Southampton Hotels
Hotels in the city of Southampton are often required for tourists who want to have a place to stay in the city. Some tourists may want to stay at hotels in the city that are large or small. Some may want to stay at cheap or luxury hotels. Some may want to stay at a hotel that is well known. Some tourists may want to stay at hotels that have a good reputation. Some tourists may want to stay at hotels that have a good reputation.
Hotels in the city of Southampton are often needed for tourists who may want to see the culture, history and tourists attractions of the city. Many may want to stay at hotels that have good reputation. Some tourists may want to stay at hotels that well known. Some may want to stay at hotels that have good access to parking facilities. Some may want to stay at large hotels or small hotels. Some may want to stay at hotels that are historic and well known. Some may want to stay at hotels that have good parking facilities.
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England.
Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest. It lies at the northern-most point of Southampton Water where it is joined by the River Test and River Itchen, with the River Hamble joining to the south of the urban area.
The local authority is Southampton City Council, which is a unitary authority. The city is part of the ceremonial county of Hampshire.
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 city lies in the Hampshire Basin, which sits atop chalk beds.
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.
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. 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.
Part
of the medieval walls
The town was sacked in 1338 by the French, including the pirate 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 nd 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 memorial to the engineers of
the RMS Titanic.
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.
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