Southampton

Who knew all the history here?  This has been a significant port forever -- King Henry V and his troops were stationed here before they set sail for the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.  The Mayflower and Speedwell set sail for America from here.  The Speedwell was not really seaworthy, and they put everything and everyone onto the Mayflower.  The Titanic set sail from here, and Southampton was a communications hub during the recovery efforts.

More than just a port for high profile voyages, Southampton was a merchant and trade crossroads.  St Micheal's church was built in 1070 and spared in WWII because the steeple was a helpful navigation point in air raids.  The Bargate was constructed by the Normans in 1180 and served as the main point of land entry into the city.  A good bit of the Medieval walls remain.

The Tudor house and gardens have been restored into a state of the art museum, while retaining the 15th century timber framed building and brick side buildings that were its essence.  Public lottery money went into this restoration.  I took lots of garden pictures, and it is spring here with iris, columbine, borage, and peonies in bloom.  It will be hard to decide what parts of the yard are going to be Japanese, and what will be English formal garden, and what will be English cottage garden.

More recent history is here too.  Jane Austin lived in Southampton a couple of years, and Ben Franklin stayed a few nights in the hotel we are in -- because his ship was a few days late arriving to take him back to America.

Will has spent his life reading historical novels about England, and is constantly seeing things that are familiar, and explaining the historical references.