SOUTHAMPTON

'Southampton' (IPA: /ˈsaʊθˈhæmptən/) is the largest city^[1] on the south coast of England. It is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest. The city lies roughly in the centre of the coast, at the northern-most point of Southampton Water where it is joined by the River Test and River Itchen,^[2] with the River Hamble joining to the south of the urban area. The city is situated approximately halfway between Bournemouth and Portsmouth.
The local authority is Southampton City Council, which is a unitary authority. The city is part of the ceremonial county of Hampshire.
Southampton has a number of important businesses and organisations based in it, such as the University of Southampton, a Ford Transit factory and in the docks, one of the largest container ports in Europe.
The city represents the core of the Greater Southampton region, with a population of 222,000.^[1] The city's name is sometimes abbreviated in writing to "So'ton" or "Soton", and a resident of Southampton is called a .
Southampton is noted for being the home of the ''RMS Titanic'',^[4] the ''Spitfire''^[5] and more recently a number of the largest cruise liners in the world.^[6]^[7]

History

Main articles: History of Southampton

Part of The Medieval Walls

Although Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age settlements are known to have existed in the area,^[8] the first permanent settlement was established by the Romans shortly after their invasion of Britain in AD43.^[9] Known as ''Clausentum'', it was an important trading port for the large Roman towns of Winchester and Salisbury. The Romans abandoned the settlement circa AD410^[9], and the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons eventually saw the formation of a new settlement circa AD700 across the Itchen centred around what is now the St Mary's area. The settlement was known as ''Hamwic'',^[11] which evolved into ''Hamtun'' and then ''Hampton''.^[12] The Viking King Canute the Great is supposed to have defeated the Anglo-Saxon King Ethelred the Unready here in 1014 and been crowned here, and his fabled attempt to "command" the tide to halt may have taken place in Southampton.^[13] Excavations have uncovered one of the best collections of Saxon artifacts in Europe.^[11]
Hamwic fell into decline in the 9th century,^[11] but there is evidence that by the 10th century, a new settlement, which became Medieval Southampton had already been established^[16] following the Norman Conquest in 1066. Southampton became the major port of transit between Winchester (then the capital of England) and Normandy. By the 13th Century, Southampton had become a leading port, and was particularly involved in the trade of French Wine^[16] in exchange for English cloth and wool.^[12] The ''Wool House'' was built in 1417 as a warehouse for the medieval wool trade with Flanders and Italy, the building surviving today as the Maritime Museum. During the Middle Ages, shipbuilding became an increasingly important industry, which was to remain for centuries to come.
The town was sacked in 1338 by the French, including the pirate Grimaldi, who used the plunder to help found the principality of Monaco.^[19] After this attack, the city's walls - part of which dates from 1175^[20] - were extensively added to and reinforced.^[21] A large part of the town's walls remain today.^[22] Lacking proper finance for the construction of a full defensive wall, the townsfolk reached a compromise solution, which involved joining the existing exterior walls of existing merchant houses together to form part of the defensive structure. The city walls include ''God's House Tower'', built in 1417, the first purpose-built artillery fortification in England.^[23] 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.^[21] Today, it is open as the Museum of Archaeology. The walls were finally completed in the 15th century.^[22]
The 12th century Red Lion pub on the High Street, within the old walls, is where in 1415, immediately prior to King Henry V of England's departure from Southampton to the Battle of Agincourt, the ringleaders of the "Southampton Plot", Richard, Earl of Cambridge, Henry Scrope, 3rd Baron Scrope of Masham and Sir Thomas Grey of Heton, were tried and found guilty of high treason, before being summarily executed outside the Bargate.
The port was the original point of departure for the Pilgrim Fathers aboard the ''Mayflower'' in 1623.^[20] A memorial can be found on Town Quay. Since that time it has been the last port of call for millions of emigrants who left the Old World to start a new life in the USA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and other parts of the world.

The memorial to the engineers of the RMS ''Titanic''.

In 1838, the docks were rebuilt and Southampton became known as ''The Gateway to the Empire''.^[27] As was common with most of the luxury liners of the time,^[27] in 1912 the RMS ''Titanic'' sailed from here.^[20] The city contains several memorials and museum exhibitions related to the ''Titanic'', most of crew having come from Southampton; 549 Sotonians died in the sinking.

The Cenotaph

The city is home to Sir Edwin Lutyens' first permanent cenotaph, which was the basis for his design of the memorial in Whitehall, London.^[30] a memorial to the city's dead of World War I. When it was unveiled on 6 November 1920, it was 1800 names, later raised to 2008. The Second World War hit Southampton particularly hard because of its strategic importance as the major industrial area on the South Coast. In particular, the Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft was invented and manufactured in Southampton, a result of 1930s experimentation in the city. Bombing in two days in September 1940 killed 130 workers at the Woolston aircraft factory. There were many aircraft companies based around Hamble, to the east of the city, from the 1930s to 1950s, including Folland Aviation, now part of British Aerospace, which built the Hawk and Harrier. BOAC had a flying boat base in the docks serving British colonial possessions in Africa and Asia in the 1930s and 1940s. It closed in 1950 when land based aircraft became dominant. Nearby, Calshot Spit was a base for the military flying boat services.
Pockets of Georgian architecture survived the war, but much of the city was levelled. The accuracy of the locally-based Ordnance Survey's maps did not go unrecognised by the Luftwaffe: the German bomber pilots used them to bomb Southampton.^[31] One notable building to survive the bombings was Southampton's oldest, St. Michaels Church. Thought to have been commenced in 1070,^[32] the building has been added to many times over the centuries but its central tower dates from Norman times. The spire was an important navigation aid for the German pilots and consequently they were ordered to avoid bombing it.^[33]
Southampton became a county corporate in 1447. It was one of the boroughs reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. The town became a county borough under the Local Government Act 1888, being expanded by the addition of several parishes in 1894, 1920, 1925 and 1967. Southampton was awarded city status in 1964 by Letters Patent.^[34] The boundaries have been largely unchanged since then, despite the loss of county borough status in 1974, and subsequent regaining of unitary authority status in 1996.

Government

Civic Centre, Southampton

Formerly a County Borough within the county of Hampshire (to which it gave its name, the ''County of Southampton'' or ''Southamptonshire'' - this was officially changed to ''Hampshire'' in 1959 though the county had been commonly known as Hampshire or Hantscire for centuries), it became a non-metropolitan district in 1974. However, the city became independent administratively from that county as it was made into a unitary authority in a local government re-organisation on 1 April 1997 - a result of the 1992 Local Government Act. The district remains part of the Hampshire ceremonial county.
Southampton City Council consists of 48 councillors elected by thirds. After the 2007 local council elections on 3 May 2007 the Council is split with 18 seats each to the Labour and the Conservative Party, each having gained two, and 12 to the Liberal Democrats. The Conservatives are currently in control, after a Liberal Democrat resigned from her group to become an independent and voted for the Conservative leader Alec Samuels.
There are three members of parliament for the city: Rt Hon John Denham (Labour) for Southampton Itchen (constituency for the east of the city), Dr Alan Whitehead (Labour) for Southampton Test (the west of the city), and Sandra Gidley (Liberal Democrat) for Romsey (which includes a portion of the north of the city).
Southampton's police service is provided by Hampshire Constabulary, its fire service by Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service and the ambulance service by the South Central Ambulance Service. Police stations within the city boundaries can be found in Portswood, Bitterne, and Shirley, as well as at the Civic Centre in the city centre. Fire stations are located in St Mary's, Sholing and Redbridge.

Geography and climate

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.^[35] The Test - which has saltmarsh that make it ideal for Salmon fishing^[36] - 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.^[37] Most of the land used for reclamation came from dredging of Southampton Water,^[38] 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.^[39] This gives the port a much longer high tide period than other ports, making the movement of large ships easier.^[40]^[41]
The city itself lies in the Hampshire Basin, which sits atop large amounts of chalk beds.^[35]

Demographics

As is the case with most large towns in the UK, Southampton has a diverse range of cultures and ethnic groups, which make up the estimated 222,000 people living within the city boundary. There is a large Polish population in the city, with estimates as high as 20,000, or 1 in every 10 of the total population.^[43] Southampton also has large Asian and Irish communities. At the 2001 Census, 92.4 per cent of the city's populace were white (including one per cent white Irish), 3.8 per cent were South Asian, 1.0 per cent black or black British, 1.3 per cent Chinese or other ethnic groups, and 1.5 per cent were of mixed race.^[44]
In total, there are 112,400 males within the city and 109,500 females.^[45] The 20-24 age range is the most populous, with an estimated 28,100 people falling in this age range. Next largest is the 25-29 range with 20,500 people and then 30-34 years with 17,000.^[46]
Between 1996 and 2004, the population of the city increased by 4.9 per cent - the tenth biggest increase in England. ^[47] Hampshire County Council expects the city's population to grow by around a further two per cent between 2006 and 2013, adding around another 4,200 to the total number of residents.^[48] The highest increases are expected among the elderly.^[48]

Economy

Containers being loaded at the docks

There are currently 120,305 jobs in Southampton, and 3,570 people claiming job seekers allowance, approximately 2.4 per cent of the city's population, as of March 2007.^[50] This compares with an average of 2.5 per cent for England as a whole.
As of June 2006, 74.7 per cent of the city's population are classed as economically active. ^[50]
Just over a quarter of the jobs available in the city are in the health and education sector. A further 19 per cent are property and other business and the third largest sector is wholesale and retail, which accounts for 16.2 per cent.^[50] Between 1995 and 2004, the number of jobs in Southampton has increased by 18.5 per cent. ^[53]
As of January 2007, the average annual salary in the city was £22,267. This was £1,700 lower than the national average and £3,800 less than the average for the South East.^[54]
Southampton has always been strongly connected with maritime history and developments, and the docks have long been a major employer in the city. In particular, it is a primary port for cruise ships, its heyday being the first half of the 20th century, and in particular the inter-war years, when it handled almost half the passenger traffic of the UK. Today it remains home to many luxury liners, as well as being the largest freight port on the Channel coast, with several container terminals. Unlike many other ports, such as Liverpool, London, and Bristol, where industry and docks have largely moved out of the city centres leaving room for redevelopment, Southampton retains much of its inner-city industry. Part of the docks have been redeveloped, however as the Ocean Village development, a local marina and entertainment complex.
During the latter half of the 20th century, a more diverse range of industry also came to the city, including aircraft and automobile manufacture, cables, electrical-engineering products, and petrochemicals. These now sit alongside the city's traditional industries of the docks, grain milling, and tobacco processing.^[55]
Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust is one of the city's largest employers. It provides local hospital services to half a million people in the Southampton area and specialist regional services to more than three million people across the South of England. The Trust owns and manages Southampton General Hospital, the Princess Anne Hospital and a palliative care service at Countess Mountbatten House.
Other major employers in the city include Ordnance Survey, the UK's national mapping agency, whose headquarters are in the city. The Lloyd's Register Group has announced plans to move its London marine operations to a specially developed site at the University of Southampton.^[56] The area of Swaythling is home to Ford's Southampton Assembly Plant, where the majority of their Transit models are manufactured.

West Quay Shopping Centre

Southampton's largest retail centre is the West Quay Shopping Centre. Opened in September 2000 and hosting major High Street brands it is one of the largest in the country. The centre itself was phase two of the West Quay development. The first was the West Quay Retail park, while the third phase has been planned for a number of years, with the latest target of work starting is 2007, with plans to build more shops, housing, offices, the HQ for Carnival Cruises and leisure facilities. A decision as to what leisure facilities is still to be decided, however Southampton was granted a large casino licence^[57] and so can now add to its collection of casinos in the city. Swedish low-cost home products retailer IKEA, is planing to open a store in the city centre sometime in 2008 ^[58] Overall, Southampton is ranked 7th for shopping in the UK. ^[59]
Recently the Daily Echo stated that as of May 2007 Southampton was ranked as 5th for shopping.

The dockyards on the River Test

Like many cities in the UK, Southampton's strong economy is promoting redevelopment, and major projects are proposed, including the city's first skyscrapers on the waterfront. The three towers proposed will each stand 23 stories high and will be surrounded by smaller apartment blocks, office blocks and shops. There are also plans for a 15 storey Hotel at the Ocean Village marina,^[60] and a 21 storey hotel on the north eastern corner of the city centre, as part of a £100m development.^[61]
Another project would have been to have the ''Queen Elizabeth 2'' permanently docked in Southampton (her home port since 1969) as a floating hotel and tourist attraction when she is retired;^[62] however, Cunard Line announced on June 18, 2007, that the ship will be sold to Dubai for those purposes.^[63]
Southampton is unique in being the only city in the UK with a geothermal power station. The station provides hot water to a city centre district heating scheme. In a recent survey of carbon emissions in major UK cities conducted by British Gas, Southampton was ranked as being one of the lowest carbon emitting cities in the United Kingdom.^[64]
According to figures from 2004, Southampton contributes around £4.2bn to the regional economy annually. The vast majority of this is from the service sector, with the remainder coming from industry in the city. This figure has almost doubled since 1995. ^[65]

Culture, Media & Sport

Culture

Tudor House, Southampton

The city is home to the second longest medieval walls in England that are still standing,^[66] as well as a number of museums such as Tudor House, The Maritime Museum and Solent Sky, which focuses on aviation.
The annual Southampton Boat Show is held is September each year, with over 600 exhibitors present.^[67] It runs for just over a week at Mayflower Park on the city's waterfront, where it has been held since 1968.^[68] The Boat Show itself is the climax of Sea City, which runs from April to September each year to celebrate Southampton's links with the sea.^[69]
Southampton has a vibrant nightlife, and has been voted one of the best places to live in the UK for single people aged 18 to 30, owing to its low cost of living, wide array of bars and club and cheap transport. Women voted it second best behind London, while men rated it as seventh.^[70] Music is an important aspect of the city and there are several music venues. The city is home to R'n'B soulstar Craig David, Coldplay drummer Will Champion, and was the birthplace of comedian Benny Hill.

The Mayflower Theatre

The main theatre in the city is the 2,300 capacity Mayflower Theatre, which hosts a number of West End shows, such as ''Les Miserables'', ''The Rocky Horror Show'' and ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang''.
The city is home to several art galleries, including the council run gallery at the Civic Centre.

Media

Local media includes the ''Southern Daily Echo'' newspaper based in Redbridge and ''BBC South'', which has its regional headquarters in the city centre. From there the BBC broadcasts ''South Today'', the local television news bulletin and BBC Radio Solent. The local ITV franchise is Meridian, which has its headquarters in Whiteley, around four miles from the city. Until recently, the station's studios were located in the Northam area of the city. Commercial radio stations include ''Radio Hampshire'' - which until 2007 was run by Southampton F.C.^[71] and known as ''The Saint'' - ''Power FM'', ''Ocean FM'' and ''Original 106''.

Sport

St. Mary's Stadium

Southampton is home to Southampton Football Club - nicknamed "The Saints" - who play in the Football League Championship at St Mary's Stadium. At grass roots level, the two local Sunday Leagues in the Southampton area are the City of Southampton Sunday Football League and the Southampton and District Sunday Football League.
Hampshire County Cricket Club play in the city, at the Rose Bowl in West End, after previously playing at the County Cricket Ground, near to the city centre.
The city is famous for yachting and water sports, with a number of marinas dotted around. From 1977 to 2001 the Whitbread Around the World Yacht Race, which is now known as the Volvo Ocean Race was based in Southampton.
The city also boasts the Southampton Sports Centre which is the focal point for the public's sporting and outdoor activities and includes an Alpine Centre, theme park and athletics centre which is used by professional athletes.^[72]
Southampton was named "fittest city in the UK" in 2006 by ''Men's Fitness'' magazine. The results were based on the incidence of heart disease, the amount of junk food and alcohol consumed, and the level of gym membership.^[73] In 2007, it had slipped one place behind London, but was still ranked first when it came to the parks and green spaces available for exercise and the amount of television watched by Sotonians was the lowest in the country. ^[74]

Crime

In the latest UpMyStreet report Southampton has a significantly higher crime rate when compared to the national average. When put under the category of Violence against the person, the National Average is 16.7 per 1000 population and Southampton is 38.4 per 1000 population. Under the category of Theft from a Vehicle the National Average is 7.6 per 1000 while Southampton is 17.4 per 1000. Most categories of crime are higher in Southampton than the neighbouring city of Portsmouth which has a higher rate of Sexual offences and Burglary from a Dwelling offences.

Education

Part of Southampton University

The city has a strong higher education sector. The University of Southampton and Southampton Solent University together have a student population of almost 40,000. ^[75]
The University of Southampton - which was founded in 1862^[55] - is one of the top 10 research-led universities in the UK,^[77]^[78]^[79] and caters for 20,000 students.^[77] It also provides a wide range of services for the business community. The university has a global reputation for leading-edge research into oceanography, cancer sciences, sound and vibration research, optoelectronics and textile conservation. It is also home to the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, the focus of Natural Environment Research Council-funded marine research.
Southampton Solent University has 17,000^[81] students and its strengths are in the training, consultancy, research and other services undertaken for business and industry.^[82]
Over 40 per cent of school pupils in the city that responded to a survey claimed to have been the victim of bullying. More than 2,000 took part and said that verbal bullying was the most common form, although physical bullying was a close second for boys.^[83]

Transportation

The Ocean Village marina

As befits Southampton's role as a major port, the city has good transport links with the rest of the country. The M27 motorway, linking places along the south coast of England, runs just to the north of the city. The M3 motorway links the city to London and also, by linking to the A34 road at Winchester with the Midlands and North. The M271 motorway is a spur of the M27, linking it with the Western Docks and city centre.
Southampton is also well served by the rail network, which is used by both freight services to and from the docks and passenger services as part of the national rail system. The main station in the city is Southampton Central. Rail routes run east towards Portsmouth, north Winchester, the Midlands and London, as well as westerly directions to Salisbury, Bristol and Bournemouth.
Local train services operate in the central, Southern and Eastern sections of the city, with stations at Swaythling, St. Denys, Millbrook, Redbridge, Bitterne, Sholing and Woolston.
Southampton Coach Station, which is located near the West Quay Shopping Centre, was refurbished recently and the range and frequency of services offered by the National Express Group increased to make use of the new facilities.

Southampton Airport Control Tower

Southampton Airport is a regional airport located in the town of Eastleigh, just north of Southampton. It hosts flights to UK and near European destinations, and is connected to the city by a frequent rail service from Southampton Airport (Parkway) train station, and a number of bus services.
Whilst Southampton is no longer the base for any cross-channel ferries, it is the terminus for three internal ferry services, all of which operate from terminals at Town Quay. Two of these, a car ferry service and a fast catamaran passenger ferry service, provide links to East Cowes and Cowes respectively on the Isle of Wight and are operated by Red Funnel. The third ferry is the Hythe Ferry, providing a passenger service to the town of Hythe on the other side of Southampton Water.
Buses make up the majority of local public transport, with significant peak hour congestion in the city. The main bus operators are First Southampton, Uni-link and Solent Blue Line who also operate the BlueStar and Red Rocket services. Other operators include Stagecoach and Wilts and Dorset. There is also a circular route around the city centre called City Clipper. Free buses are also provided by City-link and ''City Loop''.^[84] City-link runs from town quay to Southampton Central Station and run by Uni-link.^[85]
The Uni-link bus service was commissioned by the University of Southampton to provide access to students who are studying at the university to all parts of the city. The buses run from early in the morning to midnight meeting demands of students who wish to get to the city during the day and leisure places in the evening.
There is also a door to door minibus service called Southampton Dial a Ride, for residents who cannot access public transport. This is funded by the council and operated by SCA Support Services.

Areas and suburbs

Council tower blocks in Weston

Southampton is subdivided into several council wards, suburbs, constituencies, ecclesiastical parishes, and other less formal areas.
Southampton is named the 'Green City' as it is graced with many green spaces and parks. The largest green space is the 148 hectare Southampton Common,^[86] parts of which are used to host the annual summer festivals, circuses and fun fairs. The Common includes a wildlife centre on the former site of Southampton Zoo, a swimming pool and several lakes and ponds.
As with most cities there are several council estates such as those in the Weston, Thornhill and Townhill Park districts. Overall, the city is ranked 96th most deprived out of all 354 Local Authorities in England.^[87]
Subdivisions of the city include:

★ Bassett, Bassett Green, Bevois Valley, Bitterne, Bitterne Park, Bitterne Manor

★ City Centre, Chartwell Green, Chilworth, Coxford

★ Freemantle

★ Harefield, Highfield

★ Lordshill, Lordswood

★ Mansbridge, Maybush, Midanbury, Millbrook

★ Northam, Nursling, New Town

★ Ocean Village, Old Town

★ Polygon, Portswood

★ Redbridge, Rownhams

★ Shirley, Sholing, St. Denys, St. Mary's, Swaythling

★ Thornhill, Townhill Park

★ Weston, Woolston
During the 2006/07 financial year, 1,267 residential dwellings were built in the city - the highest number for 15 years. Over 94 per cent of these properties were flats.^[88]

Notable people

:''See also: ''
There have been a number of notable people who either hail from Southampton or who have lived in the city over the years.
In the sphere of music, the city is the home of Coldplay drummer, Will Champion, whose mother taught at the University. R&B singer Craig David was brought up on the Holy Rood estate in the city centre, and BBC Radio One DJ Scott Mills comes from the city too. In the past, the city was home to Isaac Watts, a famous hymn writer, who notably composed ''O God Our Help In Ages Past'' which is the school hymn of the King Edward VI school in the city and the peal of the Civic Centre clock tower. In other arts, Sir John Everett Millais, who now has a museum named after him in the city came from Southampton as did Benny Hill, the internationally renowned comedian, who had a milk round in nearby Eastleigh - the inspiration for his song ''Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West)''. SKY, & International Radio Presenter Andy Collins and naturalist TV presenter Chris Packham are natives too.
Admiral John Jellicoe, commander of the British fleet at the Battle of Jutland) was a Sotonian and Argentinian dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas spent his last years in exile in the city.
Former England and Southampton F.C. footballer Matthew Le Tissier lives in the city, as he as done since the mid 1980s, and Olympic athlete Iwan Thomas lives there as did former tennis player Wally Masur.

Twinning

Southampton is twinned with:

★ Le Havre, France (since 1973)

★ Rems-Murr-Kreis, Germany (since 1991)
Southampton is also a sister city of:

★ Hampton, Virginia

★ Qingdao, China (since 1998)

References

This article provided by Wikipedia. To edit the contents of this article, click here for original source.

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