Southampton's Landmark: The Bargate

The City of Southampton is an ancient city with evidence of settlement going back to the Stone Ages though it's officially recognised as having been settled in the year 43AD, the year the Romans invaded Britain. Having been occupied for nearly 2,000 years, Southampton has plenty of history to discover. Visitors to this ancient city will regularly come across buildings that are hundreds of years old and one of those best known landmarks is the impressive Bargate.

What is Southampton's Bargate?
The Bargate was built as part of the old city walls of Southampton, back in the days when Southampton was a fortified city to protect it against attack from outside. The Bargate itself acted as a gate to the city and it was in fact the main point of entry for anyone coming into Southampton from the north.

A History of Southampton's Bargate
The Bargate in Southampton was built around the year 1180AD, during Norman times. This was an important era in Britain's history and followed the Norman Conquest that began in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings, nearly 100 miles east of Southampton. Southampton itself grew in importance because it was the main port gateway between Winchester (which was at that time the capital of England), and Normandy in France.

Construction of Southampton's Bargate
The Bargate is built of stone and flint, and since it was first constructed in 1180 it's seen a few additions and alterations. These include a two storey extension on the south side of the Bargate near the end of the 13th century. This also added four windows to naturally light the upstairs room, because of course they didn't have any kind of electric lights in those days!

If you look at the Bargate from the south side you'll see there's a statue standing in an archway. Originally this was a wooden statue of Queen Anne, but it was later replaced by a stone statue of King George III. The Bargate was originally connected to Southampton's city walls so as to create an impenetrable line of defence. The separation was finally made in the 1930's when city planners needed to make more space for new buildings and roads around the Bargate.

What was Southampton's Bargate Used For?
The Bargate was obviously used as a gateway into the city of Southampton so as to protect the city from invading forces, but beyond the obvious it has actually served several other uses too. The room that was constructed during the extensions that were made to the Bargate in the 13th century was used as the city's guildhall until the 1770's. Then from 1836 onwards, when Southampton's police force was established, it was used as a prison. During the Second World War the Bargate was again used by Southampton police, as their headquarters.

The Bargate Today
Today the Bargate is one of Southampton's best known and recognisable landmarks and has been seen as the Southampton City Council logo for many years. After a period of being closed to the public, visitors can now go inside the Bargate's upper room again, and visit the Bargate Monument Gallery. This is an art gallery that features the work of local and emerging artists and a visit to this lovely little gallery allows you to see not only some works of art, but gives you the opportunity to experience the inside of Southampton's most famous landmark.

When you do visit the Bargate consider what this historical monument has lived through during the 830 years since it was first constructed!

Thank you to Michael Palmer for the lovely photo of the Bargate.