Did You Know?

Southampton is a port city on England’s south coast. It’s home to the Sea City Museum, with an model of the Titanic, which departed from Southampton in 1912. Nearby, the City Art Gallery specialises in modern British art. .

From the middle of the 1800's, Southampton has been famous for being a liner port. In 1912, the world's most famous liner, The Titanic, embarked from here on its fateful maiden voyage, carrying seven hundred residents in her crew, over five hundred of whom would never return.

It is the largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated 75 miles south-west of London and 19 miles north-west of Portsmouth. It's name is sometimes abbreviated in writing to "So'ton" or "Soton", and a resident are called a Sotonian.

The Mayflower, the famed ship which brought the Pilgrim Fathers to America, actually set sail from Southampton. There were in fact two ships - The Mayflower and The Speedwell, which left together in early August, 1620.

God's House Tower, on the corner of Town Quay, Lower Canal Walk and Platform Road, was the first dedicated artillery fortification built in England. It was constructed in 1417, as part of the drive to fortify Southampton following the French raids some 80 years earlier.

It has had its fair share of aviation history. The Spitfire, a huge advancement in the books of aero-travel, first took off from Southampton in 1936. To discover more about the huge aviation advancement of the 1900s, you can visit the Solent Sky museum.

For sports enthusiasts, one of the fun facts about the city that might surprise you is that the city is home to the oldest bowling green in England. The Southampton Old Bowling Green, established in 1299, is still in use today.

In 2000, Harbour Lights picture house was voted Britian’s Best Loved Independent Cinema by Empire Magazine.

Southampton is famed as the home of writers such as Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, as well as the birthplace of engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Hampshire is notable for housing the birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force.

It was awarded Lord Mayor status in May 2022 as part of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours Competition.

In September 2023, Solent University was awarded three Gold ratings in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), recognising their outstanding student outcomes and experience.

It was awarded Lord Mayor status in May 2022 as part of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours Competition.