:southampton: Our fine city and surrounds - photos

I had a girlfriend a few years back who reckoned that dead people talked to her (she was mad as a box of frogs, but in a good way). Anyway, we went into the Red Lion on High Street for lunch one time; she said that she had more than one person chattering away to her in there. Given its history (three noble conspirators against Henry V were tried and sentenced in there just prior to Agincourt) it’s easy to imagine the odd ghost pootling about the place. The chaps at the table in this pic look distinctly corporeal though.

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Find this one a bit eerie. It looks great, but every Sotonian knows that the bridge is famous for three things.

  1. Still being a toll bridge, despite the initial bollocks that it would be free once it paid for itself (fact check pls).

  2. Making the floating bridge defunct.

  3. Suicides.

Westgate Hall. 'Tis where I wed.

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I took the missus there one time…Turns out, when they are told the history of the place, it gives Americans spontaneous orgasms of nerdiness about things they are newly coming to terms with regarding byegone times.

A footnote regarding ghosts. I saw a whole bunch of them once while sitting at the bottom of the steps to the water from Cobden Bridge. They were all sitting around on the boats late at night. However, I had been dropping a LOT of speed, and had not slept for three days, so I’m not sure if the ghosts can be scientifically proven. :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

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Growing up in the Cowes district of the Isle of Wight the closest thing I had to something that I could call ‘my city’ was obviously Southampton; but, in truth, for many years the only bits of it that I ever really experienced were The Dell, the walk from Red Funnel up to The Dell, the skating rink at the top of the town, the swimming pool and the high-street shops.

Apart from one trip as a very small boy with my dad to the Camper and Nicholson’s shipyard (where he worked as a welder) to pick up the stool that he made for me to stand on under the West Stand I don’t recall ever going to the eastern side of the city until St Mary’s started to be developed; it was only then that I really discovered the ethnic and cultural diversity within Southampton.

In recent years myself and Mrs Stickman (who has developed a passion for Saints rather late in life) have been fortunate enough to be able to treat ourselves to half a dozen or so weekends in the city, which has given me the opportunity to experience Southampton a little better.

We drive down on a Friday night, check into The Dolphin, pop next door to The Standing Order for a few beers, before heading down to Oxford Street for more beers and a meal. On the Saturday we either have breakfast in The Standing Order or The White Star in Oxford Street before heading for pre-match drinks in one of the bars in Ocean Village. I’ve long been interested by the historical development and growth of the dockland area of the city, and there is always a good vibe to the place, especially on sunny days, with plenty of home supporters and pockets of away supporters. We then head for St Mary’s via The Chapel Arms.

Although, as far as I can recall, Mrs Stickman and myself are both straight our first port of call back in Oxford Street after the match is usually The London, which, as some of you may know, is a gay pub. We have met quite a few Saints fans in there, and it always makes me smile that most of them feel the need to mention at some point that they aren’t gay and only go there because it’s a decent pub and never too busy at that time of day!

On Sundays we generally head up to Bedford Place for breakfast, then Mrs Stickman visits West Quay etc, whilst I go to Sea City, stroll round the parks, or just sit with a coffee down the high street watching the world go by, before heading back home.

Yep, as Fowllyd says earlier in this thread, Southampton certainly isn’t Barcelona; but there’s definitely worse places to spend a weekend, and it goes without saying that on match days there isn’t a city or place where I’d rather be.

Oxford Street, Southampton.

Ocean Village, Southampton

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So, basically what you’re saying Halo, is you go into practically every single pub in Southampton on a match day except the one we’re in… :frowning:

No, Lou, it’s you lot that choose to go to the one pub that I don’t frequent. :smile:

The Farmhouse is far too far to the East for Halo.

Not ever having lived in Soton, although I had worked just off Oxford Street for 5 years, I have no photos to add to this thread

Well, I think next season we should attempt to find some common ground…

Are you a game goer BBB?

Well, as I think I once mentioned in another place, I did make it as far East as the Hindu Temple once before turning back to The Chapel.

And that pre-dated Lou’s Farmhouse meet-ups.

So there. :smile:

Originally posted by @Coxford_lou

Are you a game goer BBB?

Oooh, you are awful, Lou - but I like you.

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Originally posted by @Halo-Stickman

Growing up in the Cowes district of the Isle of Wight the closest thing I had to something that I could call ‘my city’ was obviously Southampton; but, in truth, for many years the only bits of it that I ever really experienced were The Dell, the walk from Red Funnel up to The Dell, the skating rink at the top of the town, the swimming pool and the high-street shops.

So did you swim here…

Lido

…or here?

Central baths

You may, of course, have swum in colour and not monochrome.

Incidentally, I make the Farmhouse as slightly to the west of St Marys, so you have no excuse.

If the bottom one is the one with the amazingly high diving board and the glass through which one could often see swimmers flounting the ‘no petting’ rule then, yes, it was the bottom one, Fowllyd.

Probably, though not necessarily, in colour.

Sorry, Fowllyd, I forgot to address the second part of your post.

Yes, perhaps I shall try to make it along to one of next season’s gatherings. :smile:

Although, be warned, I may have to bring Mrs Stickman, and that might not be in the best interests of any of us. :slight_frown:

That’s the one then - the Central Baths. Used to go there a fair bit - in fact, my dad taught us to swim in the small pool there. I used to love the Lido on a summer day though. Both long gone now, of course.

I would be most pleased to meet the famous Mrs Stickman…

Originally posted by @Coxford_lou

Are you a game goer BBB?

Oerr Lou :blush:

And to reply to your intended and not intimated question :- Yes I do go to games, not as many as I would like as Mrs BTripz works Saturdays, but hopefully this year we will have more Sunday fixtures so I may go to more.

Originally posted by Fowllyd

Incidentally, I make the Farmhouse as slightly to the west of St Marys, so you have no excuse.

Yes, sorry, my bad, for some reason I had a 90 degree clockwise rotated plan view of St Marys in my brain when I made that suggestion. I stand corrected.

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Lido

.

Ah, the Lido. How I adored that place. I am old enough to just about remember as a very small boy peeking into the indoor pool(s) there. (The building on the far side of the pool on the far right. I think it was the ladies pool, with the men’s on the left on either side of the entrance.) It smelled funny and the water looked kinda green. Later years though, I had fantastic times there both with family, then, later on, friends.

It was a magical place for memories, and also the only place I accidentally shit myself.

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