Bevois Valley
Bevois Valley Back to A-Z index An area of the city that takes its name from the story of Sir Bevois. A published story from 1502 ‘The Romance of Sir Bevois of Hamtun’ tells of Bevois,the son of Guy, Earl of Southampton, being sold by his evil stepmother ending up in Armenia. He escaped and on his way home fell in love with the princess, Josian, was given a magic sword Mortglay and acquired a horse named Arundel. After a battle with the giant Ascupart poor Josian was saved from being eaten by lions because they were overcome by her beauty and ended up as her guards. Sir Bevois returned home to claim his birthright. The lions outside the Bargate are a reminder of the tale. Interestingly, Arundel Castle (near Chichester) has a sword called Mortglay and in 1703 a tomb, said to be that of Sir Bevois, was found during excavations.
Blue Anchor Lane
Blue Anchor Lane Back to A-Z index During the 1300s this ancient lane was known as Wytegod’s Lane after John Wytegod, a wealthy merchant and Mayor. He owned Tudor House and the property to the south side (now known as King John’s Palace) as well as other properties nearby. In the late medieval period the lane was called Lord’s Lane. It was renamed in the 18th C after the Blue Anchor Inn which was located in the lane. The Blue Anchor Lane ran from the market square outside St. Michael’s church to the waterfront via the Postern Gate, one of Southampton’s original seven gates. It was used to carry goods from the quayside up to the market square. Now a very idyllic lane in the historic walled town, it was once known as “Piss Pot Alley”! This probably doesn’t need any further explanation!
Boundary Stones
Boundary Stones Back to A-Z index The Burgesses controlled an area enclosed by Hill Lane, Burgess Street (now Road) and the land west of the Itchen. Several boundary stones survive for example, the Rosemary Stone opposite No 47 Burgess Road. Another, called the Hode Stone, is at the top of Hill Lane.
Bargate
Bargate Back to A-Z index If you were standing outside the Bargate on 16th January 1434, you would be in the middle of the noise and the bustle of preparations for a great feast. It was to be held in the Guild Hall upstairs in the Bargate, by the guild of merchants. All the details and expenses for this feast are listed in the account book of the Town Steward which is preserved in the City Archives. The Bargate was the main entrance to the old town of Southampton. If you look up at the parapet you can see the 17th century watch bell. At the end of each day, the Watch Bell (or curfew bell) was rung and the gate shut. Curfew derives from the French phrase “couvre-feu”, which means cover the fire. Taxes were collected here by the broker. Two taxes were levied on carts; ‘cartage’ was paid on the cart, and ‘pontage’ was a toll for the bridge. There was also a ‘Petty Custom’ toll on goods carried. The earliest named broker was William Rede. In 1435, he collected £20 in taxes. The first floor Guild Hall was used as a courtroom and the ground floor was a prison. The Bargate was constructed in Norman times as part of the fortified walled city, the Bargate was the main point of entry and exit to and from the north. Since Southampton is on the south coast, this made the Bargate the main gateway to the city. The Bargate is a Grade I listed building and a scheduled monument. The original Bargate was built circa 1180 AD, constructed of stone and flint. Further alterations were made to the building around 1260 to 1290, when large drum towers were added to the north side, with arrow slit windows. A two-storey extension was made to the south side towards the end of the thirteenth century, with four windows lighting the upstairs room. In the middle of the four windows is a statue of George III in Roman dress, which replaced a wooden statue of Queen Anne. Work was also carried out to the interior of the upper room during the thirteenth century, when the stone fireplaces were installed. The embattled north front was added to the building around 1400. In 1605, the city’s curfew bell was added to the southwest corner of the building. A sundial was added a century later. Following the establishment of Southampton’s police force in February 1836, the upper room was used as a prison. The Bargate was separated from the adjoining town walls in the 1930s, so that it became a traffic island. The Bargate again served as the police headquarters for the city during WW2. Southampton’s Bargate has been judged ‘probably the finest, and certainly the most complex, town gateway in Britain.
Philip Brannon
Philip Brannon Back to A-Z index Philip Brannon will always be associated with Southampton for his well known engravings and panoramas of the town as well as for his informative and highly collectable book ” The Picture of Southampton” published in 1850. Philip was born on 27th July, 1817 at Wootton on the Isle of Wight where his father George Brannon was an engraver, printer and publisher. In his early life Brannon set up a “ragged boys” school in Newport before moving to Southampton in about 1844. The census of 1851 shows Philip living at 31½ Above Bar with his wife Emma. Also living with the family was his engraver Peter Moore from Devizes. We know from the census that he later moved to 12 Portland Terrace. Brannon was a typical Victorian in that he was industrious, inventive and versatile. This is shown by the census entries which show him as variously artist, engraver, engineer, architect and school teacher. Philip was a Unitarian and had designed the Unitarian Church in London Road, Southampton which no longer stands. He designed the original plinth on which the statue of his fellow liberal Richard Andrews originally stood but was removed due to the rapid erosion of the stone used in its construction. Brannon produced many trade cards for business people in the town at that time and also a detailed town map to accompany his book. Brannon had hoped to design the Hartley Institute but it was not to be. By 1871 he had left Southampton and was lodging in London, where he worked as an engineer trying to sell his innovative ideas. By 1881 his family had joined him in Hackney where he worked as a civil engineer. At this time he also undertook artistic work including engravings of the great Exhibition. Philip subsequently returned to live on the Isle of Wight where he worked as Clerk and Surveyor to the Shanklin Board of Health and where he died in 1890.
The Bramble Bank
The Bramble Bank Back to A-Z index The Bramble Bank, otherwise known simply as ‘The Brambles’ is an arrowhead-shaped sandbar in the central Solent which is uncovered at low water spring tides. It presents a significant navigational hazard for shipping in the area. It is marked at its southeastern limit by the Brambles post sea mark and on its western limit by the West Knoll buoy. The Bramble Bank is renowned for the annual cricket match played there between the Royal Southern Yacht Club and the Island Sailing Club. The match takes place when the bank is most exposed but never lasts very long before the full tide covers the playing surface. The surroundings mea that the fixture is treated as more of a social occasion than a serious cricket match, and the scoring reflects this – the victor of the game is pre-determined, and the two clubs simply take it in turns to “win” the match, regardless of play. The winning side prepares the tea. On Tuesday 11 November 2008, on approaching Southampton Docks for her last visit prior to retirement, the Cunard liner Queen Elizabeth II infamously ran aground on the Bramble Bank at approximately 0530 hrs. She required 4 tugs to pull her clear on the rising tide and arrived in Southampton approximately 90 minutes late. On 3 January 2015 the car transporter MV Hoegh Osaka was beached on the bank after developing a list shortly after leaving the Port of Southampton.- she was refloated on the rising tide some four days later.lations.