The Old Town area of Southampton is where the city’s history is most visibly concentrated. Bounded to the north by the Southampton Central Parks, it clusters around the High Street, which runs from Town Quay up to the Bargate – the medieval northern gateway to the walled city. This corridor formed the original commercial spine of Southampton long before the city expanded outward in later centuries.
Museums and Heritage
Old Town holds the greatest concentration of museums in the city centre. The Tudor House Museum and the Medieval Merchant’s House reflect the area’s medieval past, while God’s House Tower is another historic structure within the same quarter. The Maritime Museum and Solent Sky extend the cultural offer, with the latter focused on aviation history. Together these institutions make Old Town the most historically layered part of Southampton.
Shopping and Commercial Growth
As Southampton’s population grew, commercial activity spread north of the Bargate into Above Bar Street, which is partly pedestrianised today. The main shopping district now stretches across Above Bar Street, London Road, the High Street and East Street. Land reclaimed from Southampton Water to the west of the High Street allowed further expansion, producing the area now known as West Quay, dominated by the Westquay shopping centre. When Westquay opened it was the largest city-centre shopping centre in Europe, with around 100 shops. A second indoor centre, the Marlands Shopping Centre, opened on 5 September 1991 and was refurbished in 2005-2006 with a new Above Bar Street entrance. On 12 February 2009, IKEA opened its 18th British store on West Quay Road. Two earlier centres – Bargate and EaSTreet – both closed during the 2010s. EaSTreet, built in the 1970s at the eastern end of East Street, was Southampton’s first indoor shopping centre but struggled commercially throughout its life due to its position outside the main retail district.