William Soper
William Soper William Soper was born in c 1390 and is most famous for his role in overseeing the build up of the English Navy in Southampton during the Hundred Years War conflict with France. Using Watergate Quay, and the nearby ‘Canute’s Palace’ as a storehouse, Soper first rebuilt a Spanish ship in 1414 – the Santa Clara – and named it the Holy Ghost. He was commissioned to build a number of vessels by Henry V, including the Grace Dieu, begun in 1416 and launched two years later – at 1400 tons, the largest ship to have been built in England at that time. After completion Soper’s ships were moored in the Hamble River, which provided a safe anchorage. It was here that the Grace Dieu was struck by lightning in 1439 and destroyed by fire. Soper had other skills, notably as a diplomat and politician. He visited London for the parliament of 1413 and was elected to the House of Commons eleven times. He was also Mayor of Southampton on two occasions. Following the death of Henry V in France in 1422 Soper was paid to bring back his body, and was later involved with escorting Henry VI’s bride-to-be Margaret of Anjou across the channel prior to their wedding at Titchfield Abbey. The role of Keeper of the Kings Ships was held until 1442, though the fleet itself had declined following the death of Henry V. Soper then took up an appointment as a New Forest Verderer, looking after the Royal Hunting Grounds. William Soper died c 1459.
Star Hotel
The Star Hotel The Star Hotel is built on medieval foundations and was used as an Inn by the 1600’s. The present facade dates from the late 1700’s and due refurbishment in 2015. The Star was a popular coaching Inn with regular services reaching London in 10 hours. In 1831 the future Queen Victoria stayed there with her mother.
Stella Memorial
Stella Memorial The Stella Memorial was erected at the Western Esplanade in 1901 in memory of Mary Anne Rogers. She was a senior stewardess who selflessly gave her life in the sinking of the passenger steamship “Stella” on Maundy Thursday, 30th March 1899. The Memorial, known as the Stella Memorial, is built from Portland stone and was paid for by public subscription. The Stella was owned by London & South West Railway, the train company that ran a service from London Waterloo to the Channel Islands via Southampton. They were in competition with the Great Western Railway, which ran a service from Paddington to the Channel Islands via Weymouth. The Channel Islands’ ports, St Peter Port and St Helier, were only large enough to berth one ship at a time, so that the rival companies often raced to get into harbour first. On Maundy Thursday 1899, both companies advertised a special steamer service arriving in Guernsey at 5:30pm. Thus, the race was on! The Stella left Southampton (10 minutes late) in clear weather with 147 passengers and 43 crew but ran into heavy fog about two hours later. As he did not want to arrive second, Captain Reeks maintained full speed. Shortly before 16:00, the fog signal from the Casquets Lighthouse was heard and the rocks came into view directly ahead. Although the captain ordered the engines full astern and attempted to turn away from the rocks, Stella scraped along two rocks, and then her bottom was ripped open by a submerged granite reef. The Stella sank within 8 minutes. 86 passengers died, along with 19 crew. Mary Anne Rogers was the senior stewardess aboard. She distributed lifebelts to the women and children and guided them into the boats. She even gave up her own lifebelt to a young girl who had lost her mother in the confusion. She refused to get into one of the overcrowded lifeboats, because she feared it might capsize and stayed on board. As the ship went down, her reported last words were, ‘Lord, have me.’ Her body was never found. Following the disaster the two steamship companies finally agreed to run services on alternate days so that there would be no more racing. In 1973 the wreck of Stella was discovered by two Channel Islands divers south of the Casquets.
Stoneham Church (one hand clock)
Stoneham Church (one hand clock) Stoneham Church (one hand clock) is just outside the city boundary. It is dedicated to St. Nicholas the Patron Saint of seamen and is famous for its unusual one hand clock. This reminds us that time was once only measured in hours and it dates from the 1400’s. The church stands on the eastern edge of the once great Stoneham Estate which was first mentioned in 855. On the dissolution of the monasteries (Henry VIII) the land was given to the Earls of Southampton. They sold it to Sir Thomas Fleming in the late 1500’s. He was Solicitor General during the reign of Elizabeth I and in 1607 became Lord Chief Justice of England. On his death in 1613 he was buried in the church. Later Flemings supported Cromwell and in the 1700’s became M.P. for Southampton. The Fleming shield with its owls can be seen on the Bargate. The Flemings moved to Chilworth Manor around 1900.
South Western Hotel
South Western Hotel The railway arrived in 1840 and the South Western Hotel (now flats) soon followed. Designed with a strong French influence it was originally named the Imperial when opened in 1867. Many of the rich passengers of the Titanic stayed there. In fact that ship’s staircase is said to be a copy of the one in the hotel. In 1942 it became the HQ for Military Movement Control. Post war it became South Western House being used by the BBC and Cunard.
St Mary’s Church
St Mary’s Church Southampton’s Mother church, St Mary’s (the original dating from 634 AD) is situated outside the later Norman town, in the earlier Saxon settlement of Hamwih. The present church is the sixth on the site. In the 1550’s the rubble of St. Mary’s was being used to mend roads as most people had long since moved to the Norman town. Victorian expansion led to a new church being built in 1878 with Edward, Prince of Wales laying the foundation stone. This was destroyed by bombing on the night of 30th November 1940 and the current building dates from 1956. The church bells are said to have inspired the famous song “The Bells of St. Mary’s” as sung by Bing Crosby in the 1945 film of that name. The song even appears in an episode of Monty Python. In a skit called “Musical Mice”, Terry Jones claims to have trained mice to squeal at the specific pitches necessary to play the song!
South Western House
South Western House The railway arrived in Southampton in 1840 and work began on the construction of the South Western House Hotel in 1865. Designed with a strong French influence it was originally named the Imperial when it opened in 1867. Many of the rich passengers travelling first class on the Titanic stayed there. In fact the Titanic’s main staircase is said to have been a copy of the one in the hotel. In 1942 it became the HQ for Military Movement Control in readiness for the Normandy landings. Many navy personnel were based there and it was known as the stone frigate HMS Shrapnel. A stone frigate is a nickname for a naval establishment on land. Many Wrens were billeted there and one in particular was Rozelle Raynes who wrote “Maid Matelot” in which she recalls her wartime memories of Southampton and the infestation of the hotel by cockroaches. Post war it became South Western House being used by the BBC for local radio and television production. The shipping line Cunard was also located in the hotel. With the opening of the new BBC buildings in Haverlock Road in Southampton the hotel was converted into luxury flats some of which have wonderful panoramic views of the docks. The former Wedgewood Ballroom of the hotel has been converted into a bar, bistro and restaurant named the Grand Café. This wonderful building was once Southampton’s grandest hotel and is steeped in history. It is now a Grade II listed building.
Southampton Castle
Southampton Castle Back to A-Z index Only very little remains visible of the once splendid Southampton Castle today. It was first constructed in the late 11th century after the Norman conquest of England on rising ground in the north-west corner of the town, overlooking the mouth of the River Test. It was constructed as a Norman style motte and bailey castle, which consisted of a wooden keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. The palisade was replaced by a stone curtain wall around the first half of the 12th century. Following the threat of French invasion in the 1170s, King Henry II took steps to improve the condition of the castle and in 1187 the wooden keep was converted into a stone shell-keep. The castle played quite an important role in the wine trade, and castle vault was built to store the king’s wine, just beneath the keep right at the quayside. From there it was distributed to the other royal residences. Many of Southampton’s citizens were wealthy merchants and one of them, Gervase le Riche, paid a lot of King Richard I’s ransom after his Crusades. In 1194 Richard the Lionheart spent his only Christmas in England as king at Southampton Castle. During the early 1200s King John increased spending on the castle and the castle was by then completely built in stone. Also during the 13th century, the former castle hall was turned into a subterranean vault. After the French raid in 1338 the strengthening of the town’s defences and completion of the town walls was ordered by Edward III but little work appears to have been done to improve the castle itself. In 1370 the French made a successful attack on Portsmouth, commencing a new sequence of raids along the English coast. First Edward III and then Richard II responded with a new building programme of castles including repairs at Southampton, as the castle was in a poor condition, partly due to the theft of building materials, including stone and lead, by the citizens of the town. Southampton Castle was equipped with its first cannon in 1382, making it one of the first in England to be equipped with such a new weapon. The castle declined again in the 16th century and Queen Elizabeth I was the last monarch to visit it. Apparently she stated it was the worst castle she had ever stayed in. The castle was sold off to property speculators by James I in 1618. In 1804, the ruin was bought by the Marquis of Lansdowne, who used the stone to build a gothic mansion on the site. This was demolished around 1818 and by 1902 the site was flattened by commercial developers. A block of flats now stands on the area. Today only part of the outer bailey wall survives and along the outer wall by the sea there is CastleVault, Castle Watergate as well as the remains of Castle Hall and the Garderobe (latrine tower).
General Shrapnel
General Shrapnel Major General Henry Shrapnel (1761-1842) died at Pear Tree House in Southampton having been born in Bradford on Avon. He devoted himself to military inventions often spending his own money to do so. The shell that bears his name was recommended for use by the Army Board of Ordnance in 1803. The Duke of Wellington used it during the Peninsular War. The Commander of the Artillery wrote to the Duke: ‘The shell is admirable to the whole army and its effects dreadful’. The Shrapnel shell proved very useful during the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 possibly turning the tide in Wellington’s favour. Henry Shrapnel had been promoted to Colonel in 1813 and regimental Colonel in 1814 and was given a life pension of £1,200. He was then promoted to Major General and retired from active service in 1825. He eventually became a lieutenant general of the Royal Artillery in 1837. He originally lived in Bugle Street but moved to Pear Tree House in the mid 1830’s. In retirement he took no part in public affairs and avoided the social events of the day. In 1837 he received a letter from William IV indicating that a Baronetcy would be forthcoming. Sadly William died that year and this never materialised. Today we think of Shrapnel as meaning the flying fragments of material that come from the shell rather than the shell itself. He is buried in the family vault at Holy Trinity in Bradford on Avon.