Southampton
—  Unitary & City  —
Montage of Southampton
Official logo of Southampton Logo of the City Council
Nickname(s): so'ton
Southampton shown within Hampshire
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	South East England
Ceremonial county	Hampshire
Admin HQ	Southampton
Settled	c. AD43
City Status	1964
Unitary Authority	1997
Government
• Type	Unitary authority, City
• Governing body	Southampton City Council
• Leadership	Leader & Cabinet
• Executive	Labour
• MPs	John Denham (L) Alan Whitehead (L) Caroline Nokes (C)
Area
• Unitary & City	20.00 sq mi (51.81 km2)
Population (2010 est)
• Unitary & City	239,700(Ranked 56)[1]
• Density	11,540/sq mi (4,454/km2)
• Urban	304,400 (Southampton Urban Area)
• Metro	1,000,000
• County	1,691,001 (Hampshire)
• Ethnicity (United Kingdom 2005 Estimate) [2]	80.5% White 9.5% S. Asian 4% Black. 3% Chinese or other 3% Mixed Race
Time zone	Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0)
• Summer (DST)	British Summer Time (UTC+1)
Postcode span	SO14-SO19
Area code(s)	023
Grid Ref.	SU 42 11
ONS code	00MS
Website	www.southampton.gov.uk/

Southampton ⁱ/saʊθˈhæmptən/ is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England,^[3] and is situated 120 kilometres (75 mi) south-west of London and 30 kilometres (19 mi) north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest. It lies at the northernmost point of Southampton Water at the confluence of the River Test and River Itchen,^[4] with the River Hamble joining to the south of the urban area. The local authority is Southampton City Council, which is a unitary authority.

The city represents the core of the Greater Southampton region, and the city itself has an estimated population of 239,700^[1] Southampton combines with Portsmouth to form a single metropolitan area; with a population of over a million this makes the region one of the United Kingdom's most populous metropolitan areas.^[5] The city's name is sometimes abbreviated in writing to "So'ton" or "Soton", and a resident of Southampton is called a Sotonian.^[6]

Significant employers in Southampton include the University of Southampton, Southampton Airport, the Ford Transit factory, Ordnance Survey, BBC South, the NHS, ABP and Carnival. Southampton is noted for its association with the RMS Titanic,^[7] the Spitfire^[8] and more recently a number of the largest cruise ships in the world.^[9][10]

History[link]

Archaeological finds suggest that the area has been inhabited since the stone age.^[11] According to the Chronicle of the Britons the Ancient Britons had called the place Porth Hamon after a certain Lelius Hamo, a traitor who had murdered king Togodumnus during the early stages of the Roman invasion of Britain.^[12] Following the Roman invasion of Britain in AD 43 and the conquering of the local Britons in 70 AD the fortress settlement of Clausentum was established. It was an important trading port and defensive outpost of Winchester, at the site of modern Bitterne Manor. Clausentum was defended by a wall and two ditches and is thought to have contained a bath house.^[13] Clausentum was not abandoned until around 410.^[11]

The Anglo-Saxons formed a new, larger, settlement across the Itchen centred on what is now the St Mary's area of the city. The settlement was known as Hamwic,^[11] which evolved into Hamtun and then Hampton.^[14] Archaeological excavations of this site have uncovered one of the best collections of Saxon artefacts in Europe.^[11] It is from this town that the county of Hampshire gets its name.

Viking raids from 840 onwards contributed to the decline of Hamwic in the 9th century,^[15] and by the 10th century a fortified settlement, which became medieval Southampton, had been established.^[16]

Following the Norman Conquest in 1066, Southampton became the major port of transit between the then capital of England, Winchester, and Normandy. Southampton Castle was built in the 12th century^[17] and by the 13th century Southampton had become a leading port, particularly involved in the import of French wine^[16] in exchange for English cloth and wool.^[18]

Surviving remains of 12th century merchants' houses such as King John's House and Canute's Palace are evidence of the wealth that existed in the town at this time.^[19] In 1348, the Black Death reached England via merchant vessels calling at Southampton.^[20]

Part of Southampton's Town Walls

The town was sacked in 1338 by French, Genoese and Monegasque ships (under Charles Grimaldi, who used the plunder to help found the principality of Monaco).^[21] On visiting Southampton in 1339, Edward III ordered that walls be built to 'close the town'. The extensive rebuilding—part of the walls dates from 1175—culminated in the completion of the western walls in 1380.^[22][23] Roughly half of the walls, 13 of the original towers, and six gates survive.^[22]

The city walls include God's House Tower, built in 1417, the first purpose-built artillery fortification in England.^[24] 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.^[23] Until September 2011, it housed the Museum of Archaeology.^[25] The walls were completed in the 15th century,^[26] but later development of several new fortifications along Southampton Water and the Solent by Henry VIII meant that Southampton was no longer dependent upon its fortifications.^[27]

On the other hand, many of the medieval buildings once situated within the town walls are now in ruins or have disappeared altogether. From successive incarnations of the motte and bailey castle, only a section of the bailey wall remains today, lying just off Castle Way.^[28] The last remains of the Franciscan friary in Southampton, founded circa 1233 and dissolved in 1538, were swept away in the 1940s.^[29] The site is now occupied by Friary House.

Elsewhere, remnants of the medieval water supply system devised by the friars can still be seen today. Constructed in 1290, the system carried water from Conduit Head (remnants of which survive near Hill Lane, Shirley) some 1.7 kilometres to the site of the friary inside the town walls. The friars granted use of the water to the town in 1310 and passed on ownership of the water supply system itself in 1420.^[30] Further remains can be observed at Conduit House on Commercial Road.

In 1642, during the English Civil War, a Parliamentary garrison moved into Southampton.^[31] The Royalists advanced as far as Redbridge, Southampton in March 1644 but were prevented from taking the town.^[31]

During the Middle Ages, shipbuilding became an important industry for the town. Henry V's famous warship HMS Grace Dieu was built in Southampton.^[17] Walter Taylor's 18th century mechanisation of the block-making process was a significant step in the Industrial Revolution.^[32] From 1904 to 2004, the Thornycroft shipbuilding yard was a major employer in Southampton,^[17] building and repairing ships used in the two World Wars.^[17]

Prior to King Henry's departure for the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the ringleaders of the "Southampton Plot"—Richard, Earl of Cambridge, Henry Scrope, 3rd Baron Scrope of Masham and Sir Thomas Grey of Heton—were accused of high treason and tried at what is now the Red Lion public house in the High Street.^[33] They were found guilty and summarily executed outside the Bargate.^[34]

Southampton has been used for military embarkation, including during 18th century wars with the French,^[35] the Crimean war,^[36] and the Boer War.^[37] Southampton was designated No. 1 Military Embarkation port during the Great War^[17] and became a major centre for treating the returning wounded and POWs.^[17] It was also central to the preparations for the Invasion of Europe in 1944.^[17]

The memorial to the engineers of the RMS Titanic.

Southampton became a spa town in 1740.^[38] It had also become a popular site for sea bathing by the 1760s, despite the lack of a good quality beach.^[38] Innovative buildings specifically for this purpose were built at West Quay, with baths that were filled and emptied by the flow of the tide.^[38]

The town experienced major expansion during the Victorian era.^[17] The Southampton Docks company had been formed in 1835.^[17] In October 1838 the foundation stone of the docks was laid^[17] and the first dock opened in 1842.^[17] The structural and economic development of docks continued for the next few decades.^[17] The railway link to London was fully opened in May 1840.^[17] Southampton subsequently became known as The Gateway to the Empire.^[39]

The port was the point of departure for the Pilgrim Fathers aboard the Mayflower in 1620.^[22] In 1912, the RMS Titanic sailed from Southampton. Four in five of the crew on board the vessel were Sotonians,^[40] with about a third of those who perished in the tragedy hailing from the city.^[22] Southampton was subsequently the home port for the transatlantic passenger services operated by Cunard with their Blue Riband liner RMS Queen Mary and her running mate RMS Queen Elizabeth. In 1938, Southampton docks also became home to the flying boats of Imperial Airways.^[17] Southampton Container Terminals first opened in 1968^[17] and has continued to expand.

The Supermarine Spitfire was designed and developed in Southampton, evolving from the Schneider trophy-winning seaplanes of the 1920s and 1930s. Its designer, R J Mitchell, lived in the Portswood area of Southampton, and his house is today marked with a blue plaque.^[41] Heavy bombing of the factory in September 1940 destroyed it as well as homes in the vicinity, killing civilians and workers. World War II hit Southampton particularly hard because of its strategic importance as a major commercial port and industrial area. Prior to the Invasion of Europe, components for a Mulberry harbour were built here.^[17] After D-Day, Southampton docks handled military cargo to help keep the Allied forces supplied,^[17] making it a key target of Luftwaffe bombing raids until late 1944.^[42]

630 people lost their lives as a result of the air raids on Southampton and nearly 2,000 more were injured, not to mention the thousands of buildings damaged or destroyed.^[43]

Pockets of Georgian architecture survived the war, but much of the city was levelled. There has been extensive redevelopment since World War II.^[17] Increasing traffic congestion in the 1920s led to partial demolition of medieval walls around the Bargate in 1932 and 1938.^[17] However a large portion of those walls remain.

A Royal Charter in 1952^[17] upgraded University College at Highfield to the University of Southampton.^[17] Southampton acquired city status, becoming the City of Southampton in 1964.^[17]

Government[link]

Civic Centre, Southampton

After the establishment of Hampshire County Council following the Act in 1888 Southampton became a County borough within the county of Hampshire,which meant that it had many features of County but the governance was shared now between the Corporation in Southampton and the new County Council. There is a great source of confusion in the fact that the ancient Shire County, along with its associated Assizes, was known as the County of Southampton^[44] or Southamptonshire.^[45] This was officially changed to Hampshire in 1959 although the county had been commonly known as Hampshire or Hantscire for centuries. Southampton became a non-metropolitan district in 1974.

Southampton as a Port and city has had a long history of administrative independence of the surrounding County; as far back as the reign of King John the town and its port were removed from the writ of the King's Sheriff in Hampshire and the rights of custom and toll were granted by the King to the burgesses of Southampton over the port of Southampton and the Port of Portsmouth;^[46] this tax farm was granted for an annual fee of £200 in the charter dated at Orival on 29 June 1199. The definition of the port of Southampton was apparently broader than today and embraced all of the area between Lymington and Langstone. The corporation had resident representatives in Newport, Lymington and Portsmouth.^[47] By a Charter of Henry VI granted on 9 March 1446/7 (25+26 Hen. VI, m. 32), the mayor, bailiffs and burgesses of the towns and ports of Southampton and Portsmouth became a County incorporate and separate from Hampshire.

The status of the town was changed by a later charter of Charles I by at once the formal separation from Portsmouth and the recognition of Southampton as a county, In the charter dated 27 June 1640 the formal title of the town became 'The Town and County of the Town of Southampton'. These charters and Royal Grants, of which there were many, also set out the governance and regulation of the town and port which remained the 'constitution' of the town until the local government organisation of the later Victorian period which from about 1888 saw the setting up of County Councils across England and Wales and including Hampshire County Council who now took on some of the function of Government in Southampton Town. In this regime, The Town and County of the Town of Southampton also became a County Borough with shared responsibility for aspects of local government. On 6 March 1964 the status changed again by a Charter of Elizabeth II,creating the City and County of the City of Southampton. The city has undergone many changes to it governance over the centuries and it once again,became administratively independent from Hampshire county as it was made into a unitary authority in a local government reorganisation 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, 3 for each of sixteen wards. Council elections are held in early May for one third of the seats (one councillor for each ward), elected for a four year term, so there are elections 3 years out of 4. As of the Southampton Council election, 2012 the composition of the council is:

There are three members of parliament for the city: Rt. Hon. John Denham (Labour) for Southampton Itchen, the constituency covering the east of the city; Dr. Alan Whitehead (Labour) for Southampton Test, which covers the west of the city; and Caroline Nokes (Conservative) for Romsey and Southampton North, which includes a northern portion of the city.

The city also has a mayor and sheriff in addition to a town crier. The current and 789th Mayor of Southampton is Terry Matthews, who took up office on 18 May 2011 after previously being the Sheriff of Southampton and a councillor.^[48] Derek Burke became the 574th and current Sheriff of Southampton the same day.^[49] The town crier since 2004 is John Melody, who acts as master of ceremonies in the city and who possesses a cry 104 decibels.^[50]

Emergency cover[link]

Southampton's police service is provided by Hampshire Constabulary. The main base of the Southampton operation is a new, eight storey purpose-built building which cost £30 million to construct. The building, located on Southern Road, opened in 2011 and is near to Southampton Central railway station.^[51] Previously, the central Southampton operation was located within the west wing of the Civic Centre, however the ageing facilities and the plans of constructing a new museum in the old police station and magistrates court necessitated the move. There are additional police stations at Portswood, Bannister Park, Bitterne, and Shirley as well as a British Transport Police station at Southampton Central railway station.

Southampton's fire cover is provided by Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service. There are three fire stations within the city boundaries at St Mary's, Hightown and Redbridge.

The ambulance service is provided by South Central Ambulance Service.

Geography[link]

Map of Southampton (from OpenStreetMap)

The geography of Southampton is influenced by the sea and rivers. The city lies at the northern tip of the Southampton Water, a deep water estuary, which is a ria formed at the end of the last Ice Age. Here, the rivers Test and Itchen converge.^[52] The Test—which has salt marsh that makes it ideal for salmon fishing^[53]—runs along the western edge of the city, while the Itchen splits Southampton in two—east and west. The city centre is located between the two rivers.

Town Quay is the original public quay, and dates from the 13th century. Today's Eastern Docks were created in the 1830s by land reclamation of the mud flats between the Itchen & Test estuaries. The Western Docks date from the 1930s when the Southern Railway Company commissioned a major land reclamation and dredging programme.^[54] Most of the material used for reclamation came from dredging of Southampton Water,^[55] to ensure that the port can continue to handle large ships.

Southampton Water has the benefit of a double high tide, with two high tide peaks,^[56] making the movement of large ships easier.^[57] This is not caused as popularly supposed by the presence of the Isle of Wight, but is a function of the shape and depth of the English Channel. In this area the general water flow is distorted by more local conditions reaching across to France.^[58]

The city lies in the Hampshire Basin, which sits atop chalk beds.^[52]

The River Test runs along the western border of the city, separating it from the New Forest. There are bridges over the Test from Southampton, including the road and rail bridges at Redbridge in the south and the M27 motorway to the north. The River Itchen runs through the middle of the city and is bridged in several places. The northernmost bridge, and the first to be built,^[59] is at Mansbridge, where the A27 road crosses the Itchen. The original bridge is closed to road traffic, but is still standing and open to pedestrians and cyclists. The river is bridged again at Swaythling, where Woodmill Bridge separates the tidal and non tidal sections of the river. Further south is Cobden Bridge which is notable as it was opened as a free bridge (it was originally named the Cobden Free Bridge), and was never a toll bridge. Downstream of the Cobden Bridge is the Northam Railway Bridge, then the Northam Road Bridge, which was the first major pre-stressed concrete bridge to be constructed in the United Kingdom.^[60] The southernmost, and newest, bridge on the Itchen is the Itchen Bridge, which is a toll bridge.

Climate[link]

As with the rest of the UK, Southampton experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). Its southerly, low lying and sheltered location ensures it is amongst the warmer, sunnier cities in the UK. It has held the British national record June maximum temperature of 35.6 °C (96.1 °F) since 1976.^[61][62]

Energy[link]

The centre of Southampton is located above a large hot water aquifer that can provide Geothermal power to some of the city's buildings. This energy is processed at a plant in the centre of the West Quay region in Southampton city centre and is the only geothermal power station in the UK. The plant provides private electricity for the Port of Southampton and hot water to a city centre district heating scheme, of which many buildings including WestQuay use. In a 2006 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]

Demographics[link]

Southampton has a range of cultures and ethnic groups, which make up the estimated 236,700 people (as of 2009) living within the city boundary^[65]. There is a large Polish population in the city, with estimates as high as 20,000, or 1 in every 11 of the total population.^[66] Southampton also has large Asian and Irish communities. At the 2001 Census, 92.4 per cent of the city's populace was White—including one per cent White Irish—3.8 per cent were South Asian, 1.0 per cent Black, 1.3 per cent Chinese or other ethnic groups, and 1.5 per cent were of Mixed Race.^[67]

There are 112,400 males within the city and 109,500 females.^[65] The 20–24 age range is the most populous, with an estimated 32,300 people falling in this age range. Next largest is the 25–29 range with 24,700 people and then 30–34 years with 17,800.^[65] By population, Southampton is the largest monocentric city in the South East England region and the second largest on the South Coast after Plymouth.

Between 1996 and 2004, the population of the city increased by 4.9 per cent—the tenth biggest increase in England.^[68] In 2005 the Government Statistics stated that Southampton was the third most densely populated city in the country after London and Portsmouth respectively.^[69] 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.^[70] The highest increases are expected among the elderly.^[70]

Economy[link]

Southampton City Centre

There are 120,305 jobs in Southampton, and 3,570 people claiming job seeker's allowance, approximately 2.4 per cent of the city's population, as at March 2007.^[71] 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.^[71]

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 percent.^[71] Between 1995 and 2004, the number of jobs in Southampton has increased by 18.5 per cent.^[68]

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.^[72]

Southampton has always been a port, and the docks have long been a major employer in the city. In particular, it is a port for cruise ships; its heyday was 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 luxury cruise ships, as well as being the largest freight port on the Channel coast and fourth largest UK port by tonnage,^[73] with several container terminals. Unlike some 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. Despite the still active and expanding docklands to the west of the city centre, further enhanced with the opening of a fourth cruise terminal in 2009, parts of the eastern docks have been redeveloped; the Ocean Village development, which included a local marina and entertainment complex, is a good example. Southampton is home to the headquarters of both the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Marine Accident Investigation Branch of the Department for Transport in addition to cruise operator Carnival UK.^[74][75]

During the latter half of the 20th century, a more diverse range of industry also came to the city, including aircraft and car manufacture, cables, electrical engineering products, and petrochemicals. These now exist alongside the city's older industries of the docks, grain milling, and tobacco processing.^[4]

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is one of the city's largest employers. It provides local hospital services to 500,000 people in the Southampton area and specialist regional services to more than 3 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, part of the Moorgreen Hospital site in the village of West End, just outside the city.

Other major employers in the city include Ordnance Survey, the UK's national mapping agency, whose headquarters is located in a new building on the outskirts of the city, opened in February 2011.^[76] The Lloyd's Register Group has announced plans to move its London marine operations to a specially developed site at the University of Southampton.^[77] The area of Swaythling is home to Ford's Southampton Assembly Plant, where the majority of their Transit models are manufactured.

WestQuay Shopping Centre

Southampton's largest retail centre is the WestQuay Shopping Centre. Opened in September 2000 and hosting major high street stores including John Lewis and Marks and Spencer, it is one of the largest in the country. The centre was Phase Two of the West Quay development of the former Pirelli undersea cables factory; the first phase of this was the West Quay Retail Park, while the third phase (Watermark Westquay) has yet to begin. The plans for this third stage include shops, housing, an hotel and a public piazza alongside the Town Walls on Western Esplanade.^[78] Southampton has also been granted a licence for a large casino.^[79] A further part of the redevelopment of the West Quay site resulted in a new store, opened on 12 February 2009, for Swedish home products retailer IKEA.^[80] Other major shopping areas in the city centre include Marlands Shopping Centre and the Bargate Centre, both linking onto the main shopping street of Above Bar Street. There is also the East Street area which has been designated for speciality shopping, with the aim of promoting smaller retailers, alongside the chain store Debenhams. In 2007, Southampton was ranked 13th for shopping in the UK.^[81]

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 stand 23 storeys 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,^[82] and a 21-storey hotel on the north eastern corner of the city centre, as part of a £100m development.^[83]

According to 2004 figures, Southampton contributes around £4.2 bn 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.^[84]

Culture, media and sport[link]

Culture[link]

Tudor House, City Centre

The city is home to the longest surviving stretch of medieval walls in England,^[85] as well as a number of museums such as Tudor House Museum, recently re-opened on 30 July 2011 after undergoing extensive restoration and improvement, Southampton Maritime Museum,^[86] God's House Tower, an archaeology museum about the citys heritage and located in one of the tower walls, the Medieval Merchant's House and Solent Sky, which focuses on aviation.^[87] A new museum is set to open in April 2012 in the centre of the city. The Sea City museum is located in the west wing of the civic centre, formerly occupied by Hampshire Constabulary and the Magistrates' Court, and focuses on Southampton's trading history and on the RMS Titanic. The museum received half a million pounds from the National Lottery in addition to interest from numerous private investors and is budgeted at £28 million.

The annual Southampton Boat Show is held in September each year, with over 600 exhibitors present.^[88] It runs for just over a week at Mayflower Park on the city's waterfront, where it has been held since 1968.^[89] 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.^[90]

In July 2007, the Daily Echo quoted a survey which described Southampton one of the best places to live in the UK for single people aged 18 to 30. This was owing to its "low cost of living, wide array of bars and clubs and cheap transport". Women voted it second best behind London, while men rated it as seventh.^[91]

The Mayflower Theatre

The largest theatre in the city is the 2,300 capacity Mayflower Theatre (formerly known as the Gaumont), which, as the largest theatre in Southern England, has hosted West End shows such as Les Misérables, The Rocky Horror Show and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, as well as regular visits from Welsh National Opera and English National Ballet. There is also the Nuffield Theatre^[92] based at the University of Southampton's Highfield campus, which provides a venue for the Nuffield Theatre Company, touring companies, and local performing societies such as Southampton Operatic Society, the Maskers and the University Players.

There are many innovative art galleries in the city. The City Art Gallery at the Civic Centre is one of the best known and houses several permanent and travelling exhibitions, however the Millais Gallery at Southampton Solent University, the John Hansard Gallery at Southampton University as well as smaller galleries including the Art House^[93] in Above Bar Street provide a different view.^[94] The city's Bargate is also an art gallery run by the arts organisation "a space". A space also run the Art Vaults project, which creatively uses several of Southampton's medieval vaults, halls and cellars as venues for contemporary art installations.

In August 2009, work began on a significant project to create an Arts Quarter in the city centre, on land adjacent to the Guildhall.^[95]

Music venues[link]

Southampton has two large live music venues, the Mayflower Theatre (formerly the Gaumont Theatre) and the Guildhall. The Guildhall has seen concerts from a wide range of popular artists including Pink Floyd,^[96] David Bowie,^[96] Delirious?,^[97] Manic Street Preachers,^[96] The Killers,^[96] The Kaiser Chiefs^[96] and Amy Winehouse.^[96] It also hosts classical concerts presented by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra,^[98] City of Southampton Orchestra,^[99] Southampton Concert Orchestra,^[100] Southampton Philharmonic Choir^[101] and Southampton Choral Society.^[102]

The city also has several smaller music venues, including the Brook,^[103] The Talking Heads,^[104] The Soul Cellar,^[105] The Joiners^[106] and Turner Sims Concert Hall, located at the University of Southampton Highfield campus,^[107] as well as smaller "club circuit" venues like Hampton's and Lennon's, and a number of public houses including the Platform tavern, the Dolphin, the Blue Keys and many others. The Joiners has played host to such acts as Oasis, Radiohead, Green Day, Suede, PJ Harvey, the Manic Street Preachers, Coldplay, the Verve, the Libertines and Franz Ferdinand, while Hampton's and Lennon's have hosted early appearances by Kate Nash, Scouting for Girls and Band of Skulls.

The city is home or birthplace to a growing number of contemporary musicians such as R'n'B soulstar Craig David, Coldplay drummer Will Champion, former Holloways singer Rob Skipper and alternative rock bands Band of Skulls, the Delays and Thomas Tantrum as well as 1980s popstar Howard Jones. Born in Southampton but now living in Canberra is renowned singer/songwriter Michael Catterall.^[108]

Cruise shipping[link]

RMS Queen Mary 2 in the Southampton Dock

QE2 stern name, October 2008

Southampton's tradition of luxury cruising began in 1840^{[citation needed]}.

Many of the world's largest cruise ships can regularly be seen in Southampton Water, including record-breaking vessels from Royal Caribbean and Carnival Corporation & plc. The latter has headquarters in Southampton, with its brands including Princess Cruises, P&O Cruises and Cunard Line.

The city has a particular connection to Cunard Line and their fleet of ships. This was particularly evident on 11 November 2008 when the Cunard Liner RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 departed the city for the final time amid a spectacular fireworks display after a full day of celebrations.^[109] Cunard ships are regularly launched in the city, for example Queen Victoria was named by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall in December 2007, and the Queen named the Queen Elizabeth in the city during October 2011.

The importance of Southampton to the cruise industry is indicated by P&O Cruises's 175th anniversary celebrations, which include all seven of the company's liners visiting Southampton in a single day. Adonia, Arcadia, Aurora, Azura, Oceana, Oriana and Ventura will leave the city in a procession on 3 July 2012.^[110]

Media[link]

Local media include the Southern Daily Echo newspaper based in Redbridge and BBC South, which has its regional headquarters in the city centre opposite the civic 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 nine miles (14 km) from the city. Until recently, the station's studios were located in the Northam area of the city on land reclaimed from the River Itchen.

Southampton also has 2 community radio stations, both broadcasting to a Asian and ethnic minority audience; Unity 101.1 FM (www.unity101.org) broadcasting full time since 2006, and Awaaz FM (www.awaazfm.com) located in the inner city. Commercial radio stations broadcasting to the city include The Breeze, previously The Saint and currently broadcasting Hot adult contemporary music, Capital, previously Power FM and Galaxy and broadcasting popular music, Wave 105 and Heart Hampshire, the latter previously Ocean FM and both broadcasting adult contemporary music, and 106 Jack FM (www.jackradio.com), previously The Coast 106. In addition, Southampton University has a radio station called SURGE, broadcasting on AM band as well as through the web.

Between 1983–1992 the What's On listings magazine Due South was run from Southampton.

Sport[link]

St. Mary's Stadium

Southampton is home to Southampton Football Club—nicknamed "The Saints"—who (come August) will play in the Premier League at St Mary's Stadium, having relocated in 2001 from their 103-year-old former stadium, "The Dell". They reached the top flight of English football (First Division) for the first time in 1966, staying there for eight years. They lifted the FA Cup with a shock victory over Manchester United in 1976, returned to the top flight two years later, and stayed there for 27 years (becoming founder members of the Premier League in 1992) before they were relegated in 2005. Their highest league position came in 1984 when they were runners-up in the old First Division. They were also runners-up in the 1979 Football League Cup final and 2003 FA Cup final. Notable former managers include Ted Bates, Lawrie McMenemy, Chris Nicholl, Ian Branfoot, Gordon Strachan, there is a strong rivalry between Portsmouth F.C. ("South Coast derby") which is located only about 30 km away.

Southamption also has a Non-League football club Team Solent F.C., which plays at the Test Park Sports Ground.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 close to the city, at the Rose Bowl in West End, after previously playing at the County Cricket Ground and the Antelope Ground, both near the city centre.

The city hockey club, Southampton Hockey Club, founded in 1938, is now one of the largest and highly regarded clubs in Hampshire, fielding 7 senior men's and 5 senior ladies teams on a weekly basis along with boys’ and girls’ teams from 6 upwards.

The city is also well provided for in amateur men's and women's rugby with a number of teams in and around the city, the oldest of which is Trojans RFC who were promoted to London South West 2 division in 2008/9. Tottonians are also in London South West division 2 and Southampton RFC are in Hampshire division 1 in 2009/10, alongside Millbrook RFC and Eastleigh RFC. Many of the sides run mini and midi teams from under sevens up to under sixteens for both boys and girls.

The city provides for yachting and water sports, with a number of marinas. From 1977 to 2001 the Whitbread Around the World Yacht Race, which is now known as the Volvo Ocean Race was based in Southampton's Ocean Village marina.

The Rose Bowl hosting a Twenty20 International

The city also has 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. With the addition of 11 other additional leisure venures which are currently operate by the Council leisure executives. However these have been sold the operating rights to "Park Wood Leisure."^[111]

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.^[112] 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.^[113] Speedway racing took place at Bannister Court Stadium in the pre-war era. It returned in the 1940s after WW2 and the Saints operated until the stadium closed down at the end of 1963. A training track operated in the 1950s in the Hamble area. Southampton is also home to one of the most successful College American Football teams in the UK, the Southampton Stags, who play at the Wide Lane Sports Facility in Eastleigh.

The world's oldest surviving bowling green is the Southampton Old Bowling Green, which was first used in 1299.^[114]

Crime[link]

According to government figures Southampton has a higher crime rate than the national average.^[115] In the violence against the person category, the national average is 16.7 per 1000 population while Southampton is 42.4 per 1000 population and in the theft from a vehicle category, the national average is 7.6 per 1000 compared to Southampton's 28.4 per 1000. Overall, for every 1,000 people in the city, 202 crimes are recorded.^[115] In August 2008, a Home Office crime report showed that Southampton is the 3rd most dangerous city in the UK.^[116] Hampshire Constabulary's figures for 2009/10 show fewer incidents of recorded crime in Southampton than the previous year.^[117]

Education[link]

The National Oceanography Centre, Southampton

The George Thomas building at the University of Southampton

The city has a strong higher education sector. The University of Southampton and Southampton Solent University together have a student population of over 40,000.

The University of Southampton, which was founded in 1862 and received its Royal Charter as a university in 1952, has over 22,000 students.^[118] The university is ranked in the top 100 research universities in the world in the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2010. In 2010, the THES - QS World University Rankings positioned the University of Southampton in the top 80 universities in the world. The university considers itself one of the top 5 research universities in the UK.^{[118][119][120]} The university has a global reputation for research into engineering sciences,^[121] oceanography, chemistry, cancer sciences, sound and vibration research,^[122] computer science and electronics, optoelectronics and textile conservation at the Textile Conservation Centre^[123] (which is due to close in October 2009.) It is also home to the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOCS), the focus of Natural Environment Research Council-funded marine research.

Southampton Solent University has 17,000^[124] students and its strengths are in the training, design, consultancy, research and other services undertaken for business and industry.^[125] It is also host to the Warsash Maritime Academy, which provides training and certification for the international shipping and off-shore oil industries.

Unlike most parts of the country, only two schools possess sixth forms. Instead there are two sixth form colleges: Itchen College and Taunton's College. A number of Southampton pupils will travel outside the city, for example to Barton Peveril College. Southampton City College is further education college serving the city. The college offers a range of vocational courses for school leavers, as well as ESOL programmes and Access courses for adult learners.^[126]

There are 79 state run schools in Southampton, comprising:

• 1 nursery school (The Hardmoor Early Years Centre in Bassett Green)
• 21 infant schools (ages 4 – 7)
• 16 junior schools (ages 7 – 11)
• 24 primary schools (ages 4 – 11)
• 8 secondary schools (ages 11 – 16)
• 2 secondary schools with sixth forms (ages 11–18)
• 2 academies (Oasis Academy Mayfield and Oasis Academy Lord's Hill)
• 5 special schools^[127]

There are also independent schools, including The Gregg School, King Edward VI School and St Mary's College.

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.^[128]

It has been revealed that Southampton has the worst behaved secondary schools within the UK. With suspension rates three times the national average, the suspension rate is approximately 1 in every 14 children, the highest in the country for physical or verbal assaults against staff.^[129]

Transport[link]

Road[link]

Southampton is a major UK port which 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, via a link to the A34 (part of the European route E05) 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.

Rail[link]

Southampton Central Station

Southampton is also served by the rail network, which is used both by 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 to Winchester, the Midlands and London, and westwards to Bournemouth, Poole, Dorchester, Weymouth, Salisbury, Bristol and Cardiff.

Local train services operate in the central, southern and eastern sections of the city and are operated by South West Trains, with stations at Swaythling, St Denys, Millbrook, Redbridge, Bitterne, Sholing and Woolston. Plans were announced by Hampshire County Council in July 2009 for the introduction of tram-train running from Hythe (on what is now a freight-only line to Fawley) via Totton to Southampton Central Station and on to Fareham via St. Denys, and Swanwick.^[130] The proposal follows a failed plan to bring light-rail to the Portsmouth and Gosport areas in 2005.

Air[link]

Southampton Airport control tower

Southampton Airport is a regional airport located in the town of Eastleigh, just north of the city. It offers flights to UK and near European destinations, and is connected to the city by a frequent rail service from Southampton Airport (Parkway) railway station, and by bus services.

Ferry[link]

Isle of Wight ferry arriving at Southampton

While 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 Hythe on the other side of Southampton Water.

Southampton used to be home to a number of ferry services to the continent, with destinations such as San Sebastian, Lisbon, Tangier and Casablanca. A ferry port was built during the 1960s.^[131] However a number of these relocated to Portsmouth and by 1996, there were no longer any car ferries operating from Southampton with the exception of services to the Isle of Wight. The land used for Southampton Ferry Port was sold off and a retail and housing development was built on the site. The Princess Alexandra Dock was converted into a marina. New car reception areas now fill the Eastern Docks where passengers, dry docks and trains used to be.

Buses[link]

Buses at WestQuay from five of Southampton's bus operators.

Buses now provide the majority of local public transport. The main bus operators are First Southampton and Bluestar. Other operators include Brijan Tours, Stagecoach, Velvet and Wilts & Dorset. The other large service provider is the Uni-link bus service (running from early in the morning to midnight), which was commissioned by the University of Southampton to provide transport from the university to the town. Previously run by Enterprise, it is now run by Bluestar. Free buses are provided by City-link and City Loop.^[132] The City-link runs from the Red Funnel ferry terminal at Town Quay to Central station via WestQuay and is operated by Bluestar.^[133] 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.

There are two main termini for bus services. As the biggest operator, First uses stops around Pound Tree Road. This leaves the other terminal of West Quay available for other operators. Uni-link passes West Quay in both directions, and Wilts & Dorset drop passengers off and pick them up there, terminating at a series of bus stands along the road. Certain Bluestar services also do this, while others stop at Bargate and some loop round West Quay, stopping at Hanover Buildings. There was a tram system from 1879 to 1949.

Areas and suburbs[link]

City Centre

Bassett

Bassett Green

Bevois Valley

Bitterne

Bitterne Park

Bitterne Manor

Freemantle

Harefield

Highfield

Lordshill

Lordswood

Mansbridge

Maybush

Midanbury

Millbrook

Nicholstown

Northam

Ocean Village

Peartree Green

Polygon

Portswood

Redbridge

Regents Park

Shirley

St Denys

St Mary's

Sholing

Swaythling

Thornhill

Townhill Park

Woolston

Weston

Suburbs of Southampton within the city boundary