Southampton Stories

The firm of Fay’s was established in Southampton High Street in the early 1800s, making ship’s blocks and pumps.

In around 1870, the firm’s owner John Goodman Fay purchased land on the west bank of the River Itchen and set up a yacht building yard, which by the 1910s was the largest yacht builder on the Itchen. From 1897, Fay’s also ran a yard in Woolston, which was taken over by Thorneycroft in 1904.

The images show the racing yacht Pente being fitted out at Fay’s yard in 1894 and a block made by Fay’s, on display at Tudor House and Garden.

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This is one of our favourite objects from our archaeology collection!
A beautifully carved bone gaming piece, in the shape of a seahorse. It was found during excavations in the early 1970s on Westgate Street, Southampton.
It is Late Saxon, about 1000 years old. The dot and circle motif is a widely used form of decoration throughout history.
📸 left and right profile of the Seahorse game piece

Everything is ready for the New Year’s party in the Mecca Ballroom on the Royal Pier, 29 December 1979 in this photograph from our museum collection. Happy New Year from the Southampton Stories team, thank you for your support throughout 2023.

Happy Christmas from the Southampton Stories team! This menu from our museum collection was used on the Union Castle liner Pendennis Castle on Christmas Day 1959. The menu covers both breakfast, dinner and tea, maybe in an effort to allow some time off for the staff printing the menus onboard

With Christmas on the way, we thought it would be a perfect time to share this picture from our archives. It shows a Christmas tree all lit up outside the Civic Centre (visible in the background) sometime in the 1960s

Human Rights Day is celebrated around the world on 10 December. This poster from our archive advertises the 1967 ceremony in Southampton.
Human Rights Day celebrates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, signed in Paris in 1948, 75 years ago today. The declaration established, for the first time, rights held by all human beings regardless of race, religion, s*x, s*xual orientation, language, political opinion, or property ownership.
The Southampton event was sponsored by Amnesty International and the United Nations Association’s city branch and was held at the Guildhall. The Amnesty Candle mentioned on the poster was a candle wrapped in barbed wire, which was lit by a refugee from Romania, who had been held prisoner in his own country before coming to Southampton. Music was provided by the City Youth Orchestra, the City Girls Choir and the La Sainte Union College of Education Choir, while Archbishop T. Roberts gave advice on how to secure a prisoner’s release if they were being held abroad

Happy Hanukkah to everyone celebrating!

This Christmas card from our archive was designed in the 1980s by Mary Alexander, a founding member of the Southampton Women’s Centre.
Formed in the 1970s, the SWC were initially based in rundown properties at Ordnance Road, followed by Empress Road and then Bevois Hill, before their facilities were refurbished in 1986, giving women access to office space, creche facilities, counselling rooms and a kitchen. The association’s constitution stated that the aim of the centre was to provide women with a secure environment in which they could access services and facilities and achieve their full potential.
The SWC also published a newsletter and were involved with or organised campaigns on issues such as s*x shops, r**e, gay rights, women’s health, and violence against women

These ashes are all that remains of one of the parish registers from All Saints Church after it was bombed during a massive air raid on 30 November-1 December 1940.
Built in 1792-95, All Saints Church stood on the north corner of the High Street and East Street. When the bombs fell on the church building, the ensuing fire left it a scorched shell and although the iron safe which contained the registers survived, the heat from the blaze was so intense that the registers inside suffered damage, with some shrinking and others being reduced to ashes. The church was never rebuilt

These pictures from our archive show the aftermath of the bombing of the Civic Centre on 6 November 1940.
As an important military and industrial centre, Southampton became an important target for German bombers during the Blitz, with 2,300 bombs and 30,000 incendiary devices dropped on the city and 45,000 buildings damaged. The effects of the 57 air raids on the city can still be seen today.
During the bombing on 6 November, a group of schoolgirls, mostly from the Central School, were attending an art class in the Art School in the Civic Centre. They took cover in a basement shelter, which suffered a direct hit, killing fourteen of the pupils, two teachers and two Civic Centre staff. A memorial to the dead still stands in the lobby on the Art Gallery and library side of the Civic Centre

Happy Diwali to everyone who is celebrating today!

At the end of the First World War, the nation was united in its desire to remember and pay thanks to those who had not returned. In Southampton, a memorial was unveiled in 1920, which has since been the focus of the City’s Services of Remembrance.
In Whitehall in London, a temporary cenotaph was erected for the first anniversary of the end of the First World War, designed by the architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. When it was decided to erect a permanent memorial in Southampton, Lutyens was invited to provide the design. The Southampton Cenotaph later became the inspiration for the Cenotaph in Whitehall. The picture shows Remembrance Day in 1921

Owen Heathcote Lacy Day was born in Southampton in 1888, the youngest son of Arthur and Georgiana Day. Arthur was Chairman of Day & Summers, the Northam shipbuilders. Owen joined the Hampshire Regiment in 1908 and was soon stationed in South Africa. After the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Owen was promoted to Captain and in March 1915, his regiment was sent to Gallipoli, where Owen was killed in August 1915. It would be seven years before his parents had confirmation of his last resting place.
On Christmas Day 1915, Arthur wrote in his diary: ‘Dec 25th. My saddest Xmas day we have ever passed. My dear [Owen’s] dead body lying out on a battlefield Dudley passing his 2nd Xmas as a Prisoner of War in Germany, Noel on active service in France in command of D Battery BFA 150th Brigade. Campbell in India in Command of the 4/5th Hants. When will this terrible war end!’

This photograph from our archives shows three young boys sitting with their Guy in Woolston in the 1950s. In 1606, a year after the gunpowder plot was foiled, the Observance of the 5th November Act was passed, compelling churches all over England to hold an annual thanksgiving service for the plot’s failure. Not long after, celebrations began to accompany the religious commemoration with bonfires, bellringing and fireworks. Reflecting the country’s anti-Catholic sentiment at the time this included burning an effigy of the Pope on the bonfire. It wasn’t until the 1800s when it was replaced with the Guy, making Guy Fawkes the villain of the piece. Although the Act was repealed in 1859, we continue the non-religious part of this tradition to this day

In October 1939, Southampton residents received this leaflet advising them on how to protect their homes during an air raid.
Published by the Ministry of Information, it tells homeowners how to make their home ‘safe’ from bomb blasts both inside and out. Those willing to risk staying inside during an air raid were advised to find a small room with thick walls to take cover in, with a basement or a “passage with no window” being the best choices. If someone didn’t have a windowless room, other options included nailing “stout boards inside and outside the window opening,” or putting a bookcase “tightly packed with old books or magazines,” against the window.
Meanwhile, anyone without a shelter in the garden could dig a 4 ½ foot trench, fill sandbags and boxes with earth and place them around the top of the trench. If they had them, homeowners were also advised to cover the trench with “corrugated iron or olds boards.”
Southampton didn’t experience its first raid until June 1940, with the most devastating attacks on the city occurring in November and December of that year. The city endured 57 raids in total

October is Black History Month and this year, we have featured Sotonians who were interviewed as part of an ongoing project to record the contributions of Black people to the life of the city. Lloyd Muirhead’s move to the UK from his native Jamaica was arranged by his family. Although upset about it at the time, today Lloyd thinks his mother did the right thing and he has no regrets. He settled, raised a family and has contributed to society in many ways. You can learn more about Lloyd’s story on our website: https://southamptonstories.co.uk/story/dedicated-community-worker/

Halloween Party anyone? This hand-illustrated ticket for a Southampton Women's Centre event dates from the 1980s and was found amongst records of the Centre deposited in Archives. The Southampton Women's Centre opened in the 1970s, offering services and facilities to all women. By the 1980s, the Centre was based at 1A Bevois Hill

If you’d been going to watch a film at the Palladium in Portswood in October 1927, you might have seen Fritz Lang’s sci-fi masterpiece Metropolis, which was shown there one week that month, as advertised by this leaflet from our archives.
Described as “The screen sensation of the age,” Metropolis is set in a futuristic city where manual workers living underground toil away in service to their richer masters. Audiences were treated to wondrous sights including “aeroplanes flitting about between giant buildings, enormous bridges over traffic arteries” and even a “robot” which leads the workers in revolution against their leaders. Recently released at the time the leaflet was made, Metropolis is now considered a classic of the age of silent cinema.
The Palladium opened in February 1913 and housed 650 plush blue seats. It entertained cinemagoers until May 1958, when the building was converted into a supermarket. The photograph was taken in 1956 -fi

We have scanned a number of wax seals from a range of documents in Southampton archive, as part of a project with University of Southampton Archaeology department.

This particular example is the impression of the seal of the City of Southampton which was attached to a grant in the form of a cyrograph from 9th October 1372, from the Mayor and the whole Southampton Community (https://skfb.ly/oGs8N).

It grants the Friars Minor permission to extend their land beyond the defensive wall of Southampton as long as they created a gate named ‘posterne’ in the wall.

A chirograph is a medieval document, which has been written in duplicate or triplicate on a single piece of parchment.

Archaeology & Anthropology, University of Southampton

October is Black History Month and this year, we feature Sotonians who have been interviewed as part of an ongoing project to record the contributions of Black people to the life of the city.
Beverley Dowdell came to Southampton from Jamaica in 1971 to train as an intensive care nurse. She had distinguished career in the NHS, setting up Southampton’s Stoma Care service. You can learn more about Beverley’s story on our website: https://southamptonstories.co.uk/story/pioneering-specialist-nurse/

For our 14th 3D archaeology post we shall focus on toilets 🚽

During excavations at Cuckoo Lane a stone lined cess pit (known as Pit 14) was discovered in the tenement owned by Richard of Southwick. It offers amazing insights into daily life in Southampton.

As well as the 27 complete pots, finds from the pit also include a sword, wooden objects, glass, textiles, a barbary ape skull, two sparrowhawks and a lot of cherry stones. As a colleague said – If it is a good find, chances are it was found in Pit 14.

A range of objects from Pit 14 are on display in SeaCity museum including the Saintonge jugs and a Barbary ape skull.

This photo shows one of the a medieval French wine Saintonge jugs.

We have linked all the objects from Pit 14 which are on Sketchfab here - https://skfb.ly/oGXoN"


Archaeology & Anthropology, University of Southampton

This photograph from our archive collection shows Burgess Street Farm, which for more than 20 years was home to the former Argentinian ruler Juan Manuel de Rosas. De Rosas was Governor of the Argentine Federation from the 1830s. Initially supported by the people, he ruled the country brutally and in 1852, de Rosas was defeated in battle by a coalition of Brazil, Uruguay and the Argentine opposition Unitarians, who were in favour of a more powerful central government. He was exiled to Britain, where he settled in Southampton, first at Rockstone House, Carlton Crescent, before moving to the 400-acre Burgess Street Farm in Swaythling. During his time in the town, Rosas became known for riding through the streets on a black horse and behaving in a haughty manner. On his death in 1877, he was buried at Southampton Old Cemetery. His remains were repatriated to Argentina in 1989, but a memorial at the cemetery commemorates him and other members of his family, still buried in Southampton

October is Black History Month and this year, we feature Sotonians who have been interviewed as part of an ongoing project to record the contributions of Black people to the life of the city.
Born in St. Vincent, Gordon Stubbs came to Southampton in 1961, aged 20. He completed a vocational course in engineering and got a job at an engineering firm in Kingsworthy. Gordon has always been a keen musician and played for various bands over the years. Today he continues to play, now often with the children of his contemporaries. You can learn more about Gordon’s story on our website: https://southamptonstories.co.uk/story/legendary-musician/

This bone is from the underside of a Green turtle, found in the Mediterranean and Red Seas. This particular bone would have been unusual and emphasises the widespread trade networks of the Saxon town of Hamwic.

It was found by the archaeologist O.G.S Crawford who championed the application of aerial photography in archaeology. He worked for the Ordnance Survey and lived in Nursling.

Explore the bone in 3D here 👇
https://skfb.ly/oHXWW

Archaeology & Anthropology, University of Southampton

October is Black History Month and this year, we will feature Sotonians who have been interviewed as part of an ongoing project to record the contributions of Black people to the life of the city.
Anne Cato worked in midwifery in Southampton from 1977 until 2016. Born in Kenya, she came to the city to train as a nurse and during her career, she contributed to the development of the training of nurses in Southampton
You can learn more about Anne’s story on our website: https://southamptonstories.co.uk/story/midwife-and-campaigner/

It is all too easy for us to underestimate the importance of objects such as this pottery lamp in the modern day. In the Saxon period the number of light sources available at night would be limited so this lamp would have been vital. It provided a source of light through the burning of fish oil, you can see the burnt remnants of this internally.

https://bitly.ws/U3VA

The lamp is on display at Sea City Museum in the Gateway to the World gallery https://seacitymuseum.co.uk/exhibitions/gateway-to-the-world/.

Archaeology & Anthropology, University of Southampton

Who remembers getting the night bus in the 1960s? These photos from our archives show the number 5 bus picking people up and dropping others off at Civic Centre Road one evening in 1966. The second image is particularly historical, showing a sight not seen on modern buses: a bus conductor!
The advert on the back of the bus is for Keeping and James, Paint and Wallpaper Merchants, which had been established in 1957-8 and was based at 15-17 St Mary Street, where it remained until at least 1975

Religion played an important role in Roman daily life. This could vary from deities from the Roman households (the penates), local deities such as Anacasta, to gods such as Jupiter and Mercury.

This broken statue of Mercury was found when an air-raid shelter was being constructed in Hawkeswood Road in 1939. The feet are wearing boots, with probable wings. A stag tail trails over the left boot and a ram’s front legs are visible on the right hand side.

We usually try to label objects subtly, have a look at the base on this 3D scan 👇
https://skfb.ly/oHDNW

Archaeology & Anthropology, University of Southampton

Did you know that the Spitfire was designed and built in Southampton? This picture shows the Supermarine factory in Woolston in the 1930s, where the famous fighter plane was constructed.
The Supermarine aviation company was formed in 1913 in an empty coal yard on the banks of the River Itchen, but it wasn’t until 1917 that R.J. Mitchell, the man who would design the Spitfire, joined the company. The Spitfire’s first flight occurred in 1935 and it became famous for its key role in the Battle of Britain, which took place July-September 1940. The RAF’s success prevented Germany from invading Britain during the Second World War.
The Supermarine factory was bombed in September 1940 with the loss of over a hundred lives. Production of the Spitfire moved to other parts of the country, with the design team relocating to Hursley Park near Wi******er, where the company headquarters remained after the war. Supermarine ceased to exist as a company in 1957