Bargate could be turned into café (From Daily Echo)
When news happens, text SDE and your photos or videos to 80360. Or contact us by email and phone.
Plans to turn Southampton's Bargate into a cafe being considered by city council
8:58am Thursday 25th June 2009 in Hampshire Heritage
FOR centuries it was the main gateway to Southampton and was used to collect taxes, hold prisoners and even carry out executions.
Now the 800-year-old Bargate is to be transformed into a café and shops under plans unveiled by Southampton City Council.
A big-name coffee house chain such as Starbucks could even be brought in to operate the café on the first floor of the historic monument.
Tour city walls in 90 seconds
The council’s leisure boss also wants to open the roof to the public and turn the two ground floor chambers into a visitor information centre and souvenir shop.
The controversial makeover has won the support of the guardians of the city’s heritage, but they warned any development must not detract from the landmark’s historical significance.
The main room above the arch has been used as an art gallery since 2006 and curators A-Space have another three years left on their lease from the city council.
However, Tory councillor John Hannides said he wanted to work with the arts group to turn the monument into a money-making operation.
“The Bargate is the emblem of the city and a wonderful example of medieval architecture so we have a responsibility to make more of it,” he said.
“One option could be a café on the first floor. We would work with the A-Space to find a suitable provider to run it on a commercial basis.
“We are not going to detract at all from its appearance.
I want to make it the hub of our city once again.”
The monument was reopened to the public four years ago by the Southampton Heritage Federation. Chairman Alan Jones said: “I think a café and shop is a good idea, as long as it does not detract from the historic significance of the building itself.
“Its current state is dreadful.
Almost anything would be better than how it is now.”
Comments(33)
Linesman
says...
9:08am Thu 25 Jun 09
Anyone fancy a Bargate Burger!
Why not go all the way and sell it to America - they would appreciate its historical importance, which cannot be said for those on the city council!
movedawaythankgod
says...
9:14am Thu 25 Jun 09
Le Tissier's Nose
says...
9:22am Thu 25 Jun 09
Lone Ranger
says...
9:30am Thu 25 Jun 09
Mind you they could put some flats there if they pulled it down
hulla baloo
says...
9:40am Thu 25 Jun 09
"Bargate could..."
"QE2 return possible.."
"Huge barrier considered.."
"Lido may not..."
Amongst many others.
So easy to make up anon story to fill the paper that the art of journalism for story is getting lost,
Big Adam
says...
10:23am Thu 25 Jun 09
.....just not this one.
John Hannides 69
says...
10:28am Thu 25 Jun 09
hulla baloo wrote:Oh yes Hulla, you've hit the nail on the head here. The 'Daily Maybe', has been doing this for years. If I had a pound for every Ice rink, then no ice rink story alone, I'd be a richer man.
Anybody else fed up with headlines and stories as-
"Bargate could..."
"QE2 return possible.."
"Huge barrier considered.."
"Lido may not..."
Amongst many others.
So easy to make up anon story to fill the paper that the art of journalism for story is getting lost,
goard
says...
10:30am Thu 25 Jun 09
realist returns
says...
10:35am Thu 25 Jun 09
hulla baloo wrote:don't talk such utter cr*p. That IS the art of journalism, explaining what MIGHT happen before it does
Anybody else fed up with headlines and stories as- "Bargate could..." "QE2 return possible.." "Huge barrier considered.." "Lido may not..." Amongst many others. So easy to make up anon story to fill the paper that the art of journalism for story is getting lost,
dbuxey52
says...
10:52am Thu 25 Jun 09
A Bargate cafe! I don't think so! I'll move to Portsmouth, rather than stay and see this take place.
southy
says...
11:08am Thu 25 Jun 09
stmarysmush
says...
11:11am Thu 25 Jun 09
StEmmosfire
says...
11:15am Thu 25 Jun 09
joeboy
says...
11:22am Thu 25 Jun 09
BrixtonSaint
says...
11:23am Thu 25 Jun 09
And why Starbucks? Their coffee is awful! There seems to be one or two forward looking restaurant chains in the city now - surely they would be interested linking their brand with the icon of the city and keep the art gallery as part of the cafe, surely they would be happier with the increased custom. Sod the anodyne corporations. By the way, does anyone else recoil at the idea of a souvenir shop. A load of old tat from China filling up a window display sounds like the eastern half of Oxford Street. It's 2009 FFS - wake up SCC
AdrianSmith
says...
11:26am Thu 25 Jun 09
hulla baloo wrote:Erm, have you missed the fact it is a councillor who has come up with the idea and not the Echo?
Anybody else fed up with headlines and stories as- "Bargate could..." "QE2 return possible.." "Huge barrier considered.." "Lido may not..." Amongst many others. So easy to make up anon story to fill the paper that the art of journalism for story is getting lost,
I fail to understand why people slate the Echo for reporting what other people are doing. It's a newspaper - it's what they do.
Are you people really that thick, that you don't know what REPORTERS do?
(And before you ask, I'm not a hack, I'm just fed up of people blaming the media for everything rather than the people repsonsible!)
stmarysmush
says...
11:27am Thu 25 Jun 09
dbuxey52 wrote:I`ll help you move to Skate City if you like. Southampton residents dont need defecters in their ranks thankyou.
What now for this city's proud heritage? A Bargate cafe! I don't think so! I'll move to Portsmouth, rather than stay and see this take place.
Zeo
says...
11:32am Thu 25 Jun 09
Zeo
says...
11:34am Thu 25 Jun 09
John Hannides 69 wrote:don't forget the never going to happern railway link :P ... which I would enjoy seeing though
hulla baloo wrote: Anybody else fed up with headlines and stories as- "Bargate could..." "QE2 return possible.." "Huge barrier considered.." "Lido may not..." Amongst many others. So easy to make up anon story to fill the paper that the art of journalism for story is getting lost,Oh yes Hulla, you've hit the nail on the head here. The 'Daily Maybe', has been doing this for years. If I had a pound for every Ice rink, then no ice rink story alone, I'd be a richer man.
Ozmosis
says...
11:49am Thu 25 Jun 09
stmarysmush
says...
12:16pm Thu 25 Jun 09
Ozmosis wrote:Totally agree with this comment. Let them hang at the Bargate as a deterent to all who stab,maim,drink drive,steal etc.
I'd actually rather they used for executions again - it would sort out some of the prison overcrowding...
Apostrophe
says...
1:41pm Thu 25 Jun 09
Vonnie
says...
2:02pm Thu 25 Jun 09
It was re-opened about 8 years ago by a voluntary group showing different things, despite very little having been done to address the safety issues, and the fact that the lower level had become a "dosshouse". For whatever reason, and I can guess why, the group abandoned their project very shortly afterwards and the Bargate has been closed since.
Certainly, as Condor says, it does not comply with the Disablility Discrimination Act (1995), or many parts of the Health and Safety Act, without a heck of a lot of money being spent on it. Similar reasons were given when Tudor House was initially closed, and the Wool House and Tudor Merchants Hall (not Tudor Merchant's House) having equally high costs and not complying with regulations, are neglected, as they always have been.
Gourd said "....also there is a stone ancient water hole by the cutway but look at it now talk about neglect. Can anyone tell me the history?"
Yes, I can tell you what it is, and it's history and original importance to Southampton, but why don't you visit the equally badly maintained Gods House Tower Museum to find out?
If more local people were to visit such places and advertise their existence, as well as make representation to their councillors, then perhaps Southampton's historic buildings would be better maintained, staffed adequately, and would not be in constant threat of closure from short sighted Council Committees and Managers who see them as very low priority. They are not a statutory provision, so use them or lose them.
There are no other buildings like the Bargate or Gods House Tower in the whole of this country, so extol their virtues to whoever will listen.
mr.southampton
says...
2:13pm Thu 25 Jun 09
hulla baloo wrote:Daily Echo may turn into a newspaper....
Anybody else fed up with headlines and stories as- "Bargate could..." "QE2 return possible.." "Huge barrier considered.." "Lido may not..." Amongst many others. So easy to make up anon story to fill the paper that the art of journalism for story is getting lost,
nah..
an ice rink is far more likely
Linesman
says...
4:11pm Thu 25 Jun 09
stmarysmush wrote:I cannot imagine that Portsmouth City Council would allow HMS Victory to become a cafe, the Warrior to become a night club or the Spinnaker Tower to become a burger bar, and it is because they respect their heritage that it is a tourist attraction.
dbuxey52 wrote: What now for this city's proud heritage? A Bargate cafe! I don't think so! I'll move to Portsmouth, rather than stay and see this take place.I`ll help you move to Skate City if you like. Southampton residents dont need defecters in their ranks thankyou.
Seeing that lack of respect by Southampton City Council for its most prominent heritage site, is it any wonder that dbuxey52 should consider a change of location?
I can well imagine that you would visit the Bargate Cafe stmarysmush, especially if they painted it with red and white stripes!
So much for culture!
beaudog
says...
5:53pm Thu 25 Jun 09
Bartonian
says...
6:18pm Thu 25 Jun 09
Grumpy San
says...
7:07pm Thu 25 Jun 09
southy wrote:What difference will that make ? Labour was in charge of Southampton for years and absolutely ruined it. I lived away for ten years and every time I visited there was another monstocity built and were in charge when nearly all of the city was covered with flats.
roll on the next council elections.
Hythe
says...
9:10pm Thu 25 Jun 09
Tommy News
says...
8:20am Fri 26 Jun 09
Maggie Hill
says...
1:52pm Fri 26 Jun 09
RadicalEmu
says...
8:43pm Mon 29 Jun 09
Why not make it yet another hotel? Or maybe knock it down for more offices to have 'TO LET' signs in the windows for months/years on end.
Why not pump money into getting Southampton's heritage seen and heard, and get some real numbers of tourists in? Not everyone wants to travel to another city just to shop in the same places they could at home.
It's frustrating to think that what we actually have here of interest is being ignored, and more and more Southampton is becoming just-another-high-st
reet.
The Bargate could become the hub of tourism in Southampton, please don't make it another cafe, we already have enough.
Condor Man says...
9:00am Thu 25 Jun 09