Southampton has been a major port on the Hampshire coast since the
medieval period, and the development of the docks in the nineteenth
century saw the town (it became a city in 1964) expand massively.
Thornycroft established a shipbuilding yard for the Royal Navy in 1904
and the town's strategic importance led to it being a target for aerial
bombardment in the Second World War, in which 70 per cent of the
buildings in the centre were badly damaged or destroyed. Rebuilt after
the war, Southampton is now a thriving, populous metropolitan area. In
this book author Martin Brisland reveals the hidden history of
Southampton, from the grisly locations of the Old Admiralty Gallows and
other public executions at the Bargate to the medieval wine vaults
beneath the streets that were used as air-raid shelters during the
Second World War. Many notable characters have been associated with the
city, including Benny Hill; Jane Austen; General Rosas, who helped
create modern Argentina; and Admiral Jellicoe. As well as being the port
of embarkation for the Titanic, the Pilgrim Fathers' Mayflower sailed
from Southampton. All this and more features in Secret Southampton as
the author explores the little-known history of the city.
