The team at SEE Southampton have been working hard behind the scenes in conjunction with the City Council Archaeology Unit, updating exhibitions at the western walls’ historic Westgate. The not-for-profit organisation’s free to enter exhibition is now open for the 2025 with its main ‘Provisioning the Pilgrims’ displays – focusing on Southampton’s role with The Mayflower Story. In addition, See Southampton are staging support displays highlighting the Jane Austen 250th anniversary, and the 70th anniversary of Southampton’s heritage steamship, SS Shieldhall. The Westgate is situated opposite Southampton’s famous ‘D-Day Wall’, where American servicemen’s names are carved into red brick, and a further display tells the story behind the wall and of those names that feature.
SEE Southampton’s organiser Godfrey Collyer said: “We are delighted to open the Westgate Exhibition for a new season, with updated displays. The exhibition is open free of charge on Sundays between 10am – 3pm (closed for 1hr for lunch break). Since opening the Museum we have welcomed over 11k guests through the doors, both Sotonians and visitors from overseas, often from cruise ships. 2024 was a record year for visitors with over 4k visitors. It’s very rewarding – volunteers from See Southampton give up their time on Sundays and enjoy meeting guests, many of whom have their own memories and tales to tell of old Southampton, which we are able to reflect in displays.”
The main Mayflower exhibition has been designed to complement the wider displays of Southampton’s SeaCity Museum. The Mayflower and Speedwell were both moored opposite the Westgate, whose arch would have been passed through by the pilgrims to enter and depart what was then the walled town of Southampton. The Westgate, constructed during the 100 Years War with France in the 14th century, was later converted into accommodation. The SEE Southampton exhibition represents a rare opportunity to explore this historic and listed building.
In addition to exploring the Westgate, there are opportunities to set out from the Westgate on guided walks on selected Sundays in the spring. With 2025 the 250th anniversary of novelist Jane Austen’s birth in 1775, See Southampton heritage guides have put together a walk to visit the places that Jane would have known well during her three-year stay in Southampton 1806-1809, and exploring what life was like in Georgian Southampton. The two-hour walking tours leave from the Westgate, Westgate Street, at 11am on Sundays – 9 March, 6 April, 4 May and 8 June. Tickets are £10 (with accompanied children under 16 free) and can be booked through the See Southampton website, seesouthampton.co.uk
The Westgate will be open from 10 am until 3pm on Sundays during the year.
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