By Martin Brisland. Blue plaques started in London in 1866 and the first one there was to poet Lord Byron. There some blue and are several other types of plaque found in our city. Southampton Council facilitated some black ones to remember local people who had a connection to...
Heritage
Heritage: LGBT History Month – the pioneering Institute for Sexual Science that was destroyed by Nazis
By Mabel Wellman. Saturday was the start of LGBT History Month. As someone with an interest in history this has always been a busy month for me. In the past I’ve reached out through Trans Pride Southampton to research and create content for LGBT History Month that focused heavily...
Heritage: Do you know a labyrinth from a maze and a miz-maze?
By Martin Brisland. Image – Mizmaze in the grounds of All Saints Church, Millbrook, Southampton Do you know a labyrinth from a maze and a miz-maze? We have several examples in our area at Town Quay Park, Redbridge, Breamore and Winchester. Like me, you may be familiar with the...
Heritage: The Creation of Southampton Outdoor Sports Centre and Municipal Golf Course
By Martin Brisland. The Sports Centre was dubbed Southampton’s “Happy Valley” when created. It was formally opened on 28th May 1938, following a 10-year campaign, by Alderman Sidney Kimber (1873-1949). He was first elected as a Conservative Councillor in 1910 and was Mayor of Southampton from 1918 to 1920....
Heritage: Fascinating facts about Christmas time
By Martin Brisland. Richard I (1157-1199), often called Richard the Lionheart, may have spent his only Christmas in England in Southampton Castle in 1194. This was stated by many Southampton historians including the Victorian Rev. John Silvester Davies and Elsie M. Sandell in the 1950s. A local rich merchant...
Heritage: New book explores Southampton FC history through song
A new book, Kick It: The Definitive Football Mixtape, explores Southampton FC history through song. Its author, Paul Brand, gives a preview. It’s probably best not to think about it too deeply. It’s just a song. A call to arms. A tribal anthem. And Southampton FC have had to...
Heritage: campaign to commemorate members of WWII Photographic Reconnaissance Units
A campaign to commemorate the pilots and navigators of the Photographic Reconnaissance Units (PRU), who served during the Second World War, is looking to find the living relatives of these local war heroes. The PRU, which was tasked to provide up-to-date intelligence to strategically plan the Allied actions...
Steamship Shieldhall Charity receives The King’s Award for Voluntary Service
The Steamship Shieldhall Charity, a group of volunteers based in Southampton operating the heritage steamship SS Shieldhall, have been awarded The King’s Award for Voluntary Service for 2024. This is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and is equivalent to an MBE. Shieldhall...
Heritage: Do you know your streets in Southampton?
By Martin Brisland. Do you know your streets in Southampton? Where do you think Southampton’s High Street is? Many would assume that the precinct area around the entrance to Westquay, with its large shops,is the High Street. In fact, the area from the Bargate down to Town Quay is...
Heritage: Did you know that a Shirley man played an important role in the development of antibiotics?
By Martin Brisland. Edward Penley Abraham was born in 1913 in South View Road, Shirley. A blue plaque is displayed on the house near the current site of King Edward VI School. He attended from 1924, but at that time it was in situated in Havelock Road. The BBC Radio...