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| Southampton, England Luxury Vacations, Tours and Travel Packages Guide |
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Southampton, England travel arrangements, romantic Southampton honeymoons, Southampton travel packages--
Southampton was an important port even back in Roman times. In the 19th century new docks were laid out and the railway to London completed, bringing a marked increase in passenger and freight traffic. From Southampton, the Mayflower sailed in 1620 and the Titanic in 1912. In World War II, the city was heavily bombed and the modern city, though spacious, has few sights to attract the tourist. In the Old Town, you can still see the city walls of 1360, while the half-timbered Tudor House (16th century) houses a museum with Georgian and Victorian exhibits. The Wool House, a 14th-century warehouse, is today a maritime museum, while God's House Tower houses a museum of archaeological finds. You can also tipple in two historic pubs: the Duke of Wellington, with Tudor half-timbering, and the Red Lion on High Street.
The suburbs of Southampton stretch inland almost as far as Winchester. When King Alfred the Great united the country, this historic city on the river Itchen became England's first capital; and it remained an important center of power, second only to London, until the 18th century.
A Norman Gothic cathedral was built on Saxon foundations between the 11th and 14th centuries; it has the longest medieval nave in Europe (556 ft/169 m). Remnants of the Romanesque walls in the north transept merge into the Late Gothic fan vaulting. The Great Screen (1455-75) behind the altar is a miracle of filigree stone carving. In the choir there are painted mortuary chests containing the bones of early English kings, as well as the tomb of Jane Austen. Also worth noting are the Norman font (north transept) which shows scenes from the life of St. Nichola, and the famous Winchester Bible of the 12th century (south transept). If you leave the cathedral through the west door, turn left and walk through the cloisters to the Deanery, the Pilgrim's Hall (14th century) with its early hammer-beam roof and the beautiful gabled Cheyney Court (15th century), the former bishop's courthouse. South of the church grounds is Winchester College, Britain's oldest public school, founded in 1384.
Follow College Street past the Bishop's Palace (17th century) and the ruins of Wolvesey Castle (1130-70). A path runs alongside the city walls down to the elegant City Bridge and an 18thcentury water-mill. The Great Hall, at the upper end of High Street, was built in 1236 for Henry III and is the finest building of its kind after Westminster Hall in London. In pride of place is the Round Table, made of oak and 18 feet (6 m) in diameter, painted with the figure of King Arthur and the names of all his knights. |
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| Full Service Southampton, England Vacations and Cruises Planner |
| Click here to start planning a great British Isles vacation, tour or cruise with our Virtuoso Travel Advisors. You may call us too, but we'd really appreciate it if you complete a vacation planner first so we can determine which destination specialist to introduce you to. Thank you very much! 1 800 330 8820 or 415 446 5252 to book your Southampton, England vacation. | |
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