Day 6 - Southampton

Today I hopped on the train early to visit Southampton an apparently "vibrant modern city" that would offer me a warm welcome. Well it was a cold grey day and the main station was closed for track work so had to wait for 20 minutes in the cold for a replacement bus to take me into the city. Perhaps I should have taken this notice on the main bridge leading into the city as a sign.



Arriving at the main railway station I hopped on a free bus into the city with the view of finding the Maritime Museum. The driver complained loudly that no one had said hello to him and no one seemed to care. I jumped off in town when I saw a market in the town - hoping for some nice farm products for breakfast I was greeted with cheap clothes and buckets of sweets. So abandoned the market and walked down the street reading the highlights of the city in the pavement.


I arrived at the Maritime Museum and found it to be a bit lack lustre. One floor covered Cunard and the Titanic and the bottom floor had a bit of information about the hey day of the cruise liners and a model of the harbour and wharves at the time. This was mildly interesting but I was hoping to find more information on earlier vessels.

Heading out of the Museum I wandered the streets in search of Shirley. That's Shirley the place not the person. I headed for the High Street and noted the drinking fountain which was constructed in 1887 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. The reason for my search for Shirley was that it was the place where Keith Morris's father, Henry Frederick Morris was born in 1884. Unfortunately they would have missed the great unveiling as they left Southampton for Australia in 1886.

I jumped on a bus heading towards Millbrook - it being the birthplace Henry's father Frederick William Morris in 1858.

The bus winded through street after street of council houses and past the cemetery where the great Benny Hill is buried. I toyed with the idea of going to find it and doing a comedy run around the cemetery in a nurse's outfit in fast forward but decided to stay on the bus - which never really gave me an outstanding place to alight. So I stayed and realised after a while we were heading back towards Shirley High Street. No great loss - Millbrook's biggest claim to fame is the Hospital.

And so another bus back to the Central Train Station another bus to Woolston another wait for half an hour in the cold and a train back to Portsmouth. I am sure Southampton was a more vibrant city back in the day but if it was anything like it is now I can see why they were keen to emigrate to Australia. Last night in Portsmouth - off to Exeter tomorrow.