Empress Dock Southampton a postcard study by F.G.O. Stuart. Francis Stewart was a prolific publisher of postcards with a range of 2000 subjects, his "trademark" pony and trap appearing in many of the scenes. During WWI he was an official shipping photographer recording images of was damaged ships brought to Southampton for repair.
The Fred Woolley Memorial Window in the hospital chapel at the Royal South Hants Hospital Southampton. Woolley ran a successful accountancy business and also a farm in West End. He was a member of the Titanic Relief Fund committee and a trustee of the RSH Hospital.
At Southampton Old Cemetery is a memorial to the s.s. Douro owned by the Royal Mail Lines. The ship was lost after a collision with a Spanish owned vessel. The maid of one one of the passengers became hysterical and refused to board a lifeboat and consequently 17 crew perished as they could not leave the vessel with a passenger still on board.
Barry Gilbert, John Avery and Veronica Tippetts at the Open Day arranged bythe Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery on 4th July 2009.
The Calshot Spit Light Ship was built in Southampton by John I. Thornycroft at Woolston and from 1919 was moored in Southampton Water. It was a manned vessel but in common with similat vessels, Trinity House converted the vessel to automated use in the early 1960's.
Later the ship was placed in a concrete base in the Eastern Docks at Southampton as a feature to Ocean Village, the revitalisation of the former docks. Luxury flats were built and the former car hall used by the Thoresen Viking Ferries was converted into a series of boutiques. At first the site attracted visitors but few could afford the exhorbitant prices necessitated by the very high rents charged and after a few short years the area became a prime target for developers to build a matina and to have high rise luxury flats.
Vandalism intentional or otherwise included a war memorial dedicated to Southern Railway employees killed in the two world wars was destroyed by a 16 year old employee of the management company washing the memorial with a high pressure washer which scattered each lead letter from the memorial over an atea of 10 yards. The unique booking office typical of railway/docks architecture of the south coast ferry and railways had a special historical connection in that the Russian spys Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean bought their tickets there when fleeing to France having been tipped off by Anthony Blunt. The council were urged to get the ticket office listed or alternatively impsose a section 106 on the developer to make them bring the ticket office in as a feature in the lobby of the block of intended flats but the council claimed that this was not practicable.
The light shiop became badly neglected and vandalised and eventually shielded with ugly security fencing [no deterrent to determined graffiti artists]. Barretts announced that it was going to arrange for it to be cut up by acetylene torch and the Southampton Heritage Federation stepped in and organised a rescue. The vessel is now to be re-sited at the Trafalgar Dock next to the QE II cruise Terminal at a proposed heritage site planned by Aeronautica Southampton UK. Another example of enthusiastic amateur heritage volunteers fighting all the odds in protecting the heritage of Southampton.
Southampton City Council operated Southampton buses and shared that role with Hants and Dorset and to a lesser degree Peoples' Provincial of Gosport. The latter operator also used Guy's in their fleet but these had the distinction of the radiator housing protruding several inches to house the Cummings diesel engine whereas Southampton selected Gardners, renowned for their longevity and reliability. Southampton Council operated the largest fleet of Guys in the UK. The bodywork was by Park Royal.
There are two Guy Arabs in preservation, one owned by Southampton Museum Service and operated by a local transport charity. One bus is in the plum and cream livery and the other in open top format boasts cream livery.
April 2010 the two mayors of Eastleigh and Southampton joined in a commemoration to the life of Philip Curry at St Nicolas Church North Stoneham. Philip Curry was the port manager for the White Star Line and was in charge of the local office, Canute Chambers when all the relatives gathered outside to learn the fact of their relatives on RMS Titanic.
Plaque at St Julien's Church in Winkle Street. I arrange with the Trustees at Queen's College Oxford to open the church on certain Sundays for viewing each summer.
image courtesy ParaMike.flickr.com
The railway bridge at Swaythling has brightly painted warnings and a sensor that operates flashing lights if an oversized vehicle approaches plus various signs earning of a low bridge [fine if you can read English]. However if your sat nav tells to go ahead or if you do not know the height of the lorry or just driving without due care and attention these incidents continue to happen,
The tug tender Calshot was built by John I. Thornycroft at Woolston to handle the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth and was originally owned by Red Funnel and later in her service operated in Galway Bay. Southampton Museum Service purchased the tender but years of inactivity and indecision brought deterioration. A trust was formed under the leadership of Terry Yarwood and it is now hoped to have the ship as a feature at the proposed Trafalgar Dock maritime and aviation centre.