Attractions Local to Southampton
Southampton city is modern city with all the usual shops, hotels, restaurants and transport. As amenity,
it's near the New Forest and the nearby cities of Salisbury
and Winchester are ancient indeed. There's tons to do around here and we'll describe some sites within about
a 1/2 hr drive. We'll start with the ancient sites:
- Stonehenge is an ancient and well-known site,
not without astronomical interest either! (and is a contender in the new "Seven Wonders of the World" competiton).
- A few miles from Stonehenge is the hill fort of Old Sarum, with its Norman fortifications.
The local cathedrals include:
- Salisbury dating from 1220 with the tallest spire in England, some gorgeous cloisters and probably the oldest working clock in the world (1386) - no minutes, just hours; and
- Winchester which is slightly older and contains the graves of Saint Swithun, King Canute, Jane Austen, and Isaac Walton amongst others ("the" round table of King Arthur is to be found in Winchester Great Hall, just nearby).
More recent sights include stately homes, like:
- Beaulieu (and National Motor Museum as well as the ruins of a Cistercian Abbey); and
- Broadlands (which was the home of Lord Mountbatten, the Queen's uncle).
There are some world famous gardens like:
- Exbury and Easter is prime time for its Camelias; wheras
- Mottisfont's Rose Garden won't feature its prime exhibit at the time of the conference (but the remainder is well worth it anyways).
The oldest commisioned warship (Nelson's Victory) and the first iron-clad warship are at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
Those with families might consider Paulton's Park, or the rare animals/ endangered species kept at Marwell Zoo.