---

 

 

 

Southampton Leasing

Did You Know?

On 10th April 1912 titled the 'unsinkable' ship, the Titanic departed from Southampton port. It was carrying 3,327 passengers and crew on its way to New York. Four days into the crossing she hit an iceberg and sank.

Southampton 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.

Do you know that Southampton has the lowest CO2 emission levels in England? Well, that is because this city houses the only geothermal Power Station in the UK. Hence, apart from the many things to do in Southampton, you can enjoy a peaceful walk in the fresh air.

You have probably heard of the famous English author Jane Austen. If you are a literature fanatic, you can visit Austen’s family house where Jane Austen lived after her father’s death. The house is located on Upper Bugle Street.

Evidence found by Archeologists suggests that humans have inhabited the Southampton area since the Stone Age. It became a major trading post under Roman occupation, when the Anglo Saxons came into power they moved the settlement across the Itchen River. At this time it received the name 'Hamwic' which evolved to Hampton over many years, this is also where the county of Hampshire gets its name.

Some famous faces from Southampton include singers Craig David and Foxes, Coldplay drummer Will Champion, TV Presenter and Naturalist Chris Packham, Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais, Suffragist Emily Davies and comedian Benny Hill.

Southampton became a major shipbuilding centre in the medieval era, due to The Hundred Years' War. The most famous ship built during the war was Henry V's Grace Dieu, it was said to be one of the most magnificent ships built in the middle ages. So much so that Florentine Captain Luca di Masa degli Albizzi remarked "I never saw so large and so beautiful a construction".

Southampton is one of the warmest and sunniest cities in the UK due to its Maritime Climate and sheltered position. Consequently, Southampton has held the highest recorded temperature in the UK for the month of June since 1976. Temperatures reached a staggering 35.6 °C (96.1 °F) on the 28th of the month.

A really interesting fact about Southampton is that it was once well known for its thriving underground dance music scene! In fact, the famed Southampton underground nightclub, Junk, on London Road, had been nominated for the UK’s best small nightclub, and had hosted a range of some of the best acts in dance music.

When you visit Southampton, make sure you head to the Bargate, the old north entrance to the city. It is the main and most impressive of all the town gates and the centre of town government. It was the home of the town court and town gaol.