Vikings
Vikings Viking raids on Southampton during the 8th and 9th centuries disrupted trade with the continent and partly led contributed to the re-organization of the wider Kingdom of Wessex. Important industries that were previously well established in Hamwic but were susceptible to sea-borne invaders were withdrawn further inland to Winchester, whilst a new walled settlement […]
Voltaire
Voltaire As a young man the French writer François-Marie Arouet, better known as Voltaire, was imprisoned in the Bastille in Paris. He thought he would never escape, so he persuaded the French officials that if released he would go into exile in England. This was agreed and for nearly three years from 1726 he lived […]
Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria As a young Princess, Victoria stayed at the Star Inn in 1831.On 8th July 1833 she formally opened the Royal Pier, accompanied by her mother, the Duchess of Kent. Queen Victoria loved the south coast, especially after her marriage to Prince Albert in 1840. Five years later they started to build (1845-1851) Osborne […]