I think it's pretty obvious that I'm fond of my hometown, however surprisingly, I have never spent any time exploring the history of the city and how what happened before we inhibited it. I was invited down to the newly opened and refurbished God's House Tower to take a tour of the old walls from the inside, and all of the exhibitions they have showing the history of our growing Southampton.
The building used to house the Museum of Archaeology however I'm not sure I ever visited that either (oops, bad citizen award). The model map consists of 13 pieces and has been carefully laboured over for endless hours to create a like for like model of a real map. It has now been converted into the brand new space for A Space Arts, with a Hoxton Bakery cafe and brand new exhibitions, events and concerts.
I don't spend much time wandering the city but I know the old walls pretty well and where they are, however going to the exhibition and seeing the remake of the old city on the wall in tiny intricate pieces showed me I really didn't know much at all. (above)
The aim behind the rebuild was to expose as much of the old walls as possible and have them on show, using materials that complimented them like concrete, oak and glass to show as much of the space as possible. The space is home to the museum and cafe but also has the capabilities to house events, be used as a workspace, bands, concerts and even a cinema!
Southampton is so much more than just our shopping centres and this was the perfect way to show more of the culture and history in the walls, on the streets and in its heritage. You can head into all 4 floors of the beautiful building, exploring everything including the prisoners writing made in neon on the top floor 1700’s. As well as a small spotlighted sculpture of the last hanging in Southampton. The gallows were on the corner of the Common, and I found out that our city has a dark history but it's so interesting and has been reinterpreted for the new generation.
I really encourage you, even as a resident to go and visit the new God's House Tower and find out about what happened in the place we live. It's beautiful but dark history will stay with you and remind you how lucky we are to not live in those times.
Find the website here: http://godshousetower.org.uk/
And the Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/ght_soton/
*The visit was a gift for the purpose of the review*
Comments
Post a Comment