Category: Uncategorized
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The ‘Cannonball’ Wall
Southampton’s history is full of mysteries. One that has puzzled generations of people relates to a sloping wall, situated near the Mayflower Memorial at Town Quay. Set into the wall are a number of large stones that look like cannonballs. What are they, and how did they get there? Are they natural, or man-made? About…
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Who Were The Friars Minor?
Today I had the pleasure of leading my first walking tour of the year – ‘In The Footsteps of the Friars’. It’s a walk that takes us on a three mile route from Southampton’s medieval friary all the way up to Conduit Head, the birth point of Southampton’s medieval water supply. As is often the…
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Sources for the 1338 Raid
The attack on Southampton in October 1338 had a seismic and immediately catastrophic impact on Southampton. Below you will find a number of different accounts of the attack. The archaeologist and historian Alan Morton has very kindly shared a number of less-well-known accounts, which I hope those studying the raid will find useful. Alan is…
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Christmas Books Offer
Are you stuck for Christmas present ideas for your Southampton-history-loving friend? Would you like to help small, local business? Then this is the offer for you! For £25 you will be sent THREE new books about Southampton, gift-wrapped together and sent to any UK mainland address. The books are: Regal Southampton – Southampton’s royal connections…
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The Monogram of St Michael’s
Later this month I will have the privilege of leading a guided tour of St Michael’s Church. It has been a pleasure researching the remarkable and unusual history of Southampton’s oldest building that is still in use (it probably dates to shortly after the Norman Conquest in 1066 AD). There are all sorts of fascinating…
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The Ghosts of Tudor House?
Every year around Halloween I have the privilege of helping with Tudor House & Garden‘s Halloween event. It’s always a very fun and full on day full of kids in fancy dress, crafts (bog roll ghosts was my favourite) and the house always looks spectacular – adorned in pumpkins and (faux) autumnal foliage. The highlight…
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The Mystery of the Map with the Marks
This peculiar historical conundrum is shared with the permission of the map’s owner. It concerns a man named William Wilkins. When he died, among his personal effects was a curious map of Southampton. This is now in the stewardship of William’s grand-daughter. From the short but illuminating conversation with her I know that he worked…
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St Michael’s Church and the Luftwaffe?
An enduring story that is often repeated on guided tours and in history books goes that during the Second World War (1939-45) St Michael’s Church was purposefully left untouched because it was used as a landmark by German navigators and pilots. In other renderings of the story, the church was left because it was deemed…
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Searching for History in Fire Hydrant Covers…
A geeky, enjoyable and also curiously historical hobby of mine is to search for water service cover plates in Southampton and the areas surrounding it. To be clear, it’s not any covers that I’m looking for, but those that contain dates. They provide a window, a glimpse, into the utilities that must have been installed…
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Civic Centre Clock Tower Booklet
One of my favourite buildings in Southampton is the Civic Centre. Through work I’ve written a short guide to its iconic clock tower. There are lots of lovely photos and the inside scoop on its construction, design and some of the stories from it’s first 90 years of existence. The book is 32 pages and…
Andy V Skinner 