Daily Echo | Southampton Titanic Trail - Discover Titanic's home port

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SOUTHAMPTON will forever be intrinsically linked with the most infamous of liners, Titanic, which sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean in April 1912.

Of all the ships which have made the journey down the Solent and away past the Isle of Wight, none have captured the imagination of the world moreso than the White Star Line's flagship.

For years visitors to the ship"s home port have gorged themselves on Titanic trivia and hunted out those locations with links, no matter how small, to the passengers and crew.

Over the years pubs, hotels, shops and parks have been scoured by tourists and residents alike, all searching for the whispering voices of history which they hope will be able to reveal some of Titanic"s secrets - and the stories of the 549 souls from Southampton that perished with the vessel.

Throughout Southampton those sites with a connection to the liner, on which 1,517 people died, can be visited on what has become known as the Titanic Trail.

The Titanic Trail

Begin the walk at Ocean Village marina before turning left at the traffic lights and into Canute Road.

There you will find Canute Chambers, which is the former headquarters of the ship"s owner and operator the White Star Line.
In the aftermath of its sinking this building was the centre of attention for people seeking the latest news and updates on the disaster.

Groups of worried friends and family members gathered at the office each morning and afternoon to scour the daily lists of surviving crew and passengers, hoping against hope that they would spy a familiar name.

For every five crew members on board the ship, four came from Southampton. The loss of the ship was not felt harder than it was right here in Southampton where the human cost was unparalleled.

Continue along Canute Road and you will cross the remnants of the docks railway. Along this stretch of track - which is still used today - passengers travelled on their way to board Titanic.

Continue until you arrive at the junction of Platform Road and Terminus Terrace.

It is possible to go into the docks to see the Titanic's departure point and the dockside memorial, but only with prior arrangement with Associated British Ports. Their contact number is 023 8048 8800.

On the corner of Terminus Terrace sits the elegant South Western House, which has recently been converted into luxury apartments.

In 1912 this building was the South Western Hotel where many of the passengers who used Southampton's ocean going liners stayed, because of its proximity to the docks.

Bruce Ismay, head of the White Star Line and Thomas Andrew, designer of the ship, were among the guests in the hotel the night before Titanic left Southampton.

On the day of Titanic's departure the area would have been buzzing, with travellers checking out of the hotel and their luggage being brought down to the ship.

Carry on up Terminus Terrace and at Mint Casino - which is in what was the train station back in 1912 - make a left turn into Oxford Street where you will discover The Grapes pub.

Many of the passengers and crew of the Titanic are believed to have drunk at the bar in the days leading up to her departure from the city - including some who actually missed the sailing because of their drinking in the pub - read more in our guide to The Grapes. Opposite the pub, you will see the White Star Tavern. Named after the White Star Line, in 1912 it was the Alliance Hotel, and was where a number of third and second class passengers stayed prior the the departure.

After leaving The Grapes, head up Oxford Street and will find what is now the Salvation Army. In 1912 this was the Sailors Home, and the address given by 26 of the crew members on Titanic. Discover more information about the building and it's links to the Titanic by clicking here.

Now head back Latimer Street, turn right into Queens Terrace and follow the park around into Orchard Place and on to Town Quay.

Continue along, keeping the car ferry on your left, until you reach The Woolhouse on the corner of Bugle Street.

Until 2011, this housed Southampton's Maritime Museum and the Titanic Voices exhibition made up of first hand accounts of the disaster as well as salvaged personal belongings.

The Sea City Museum, which opens in April 2012, is the new home for Southampton's Titanic exhibition and can be found at the Civic Centre in Havelock Road.

Once you leave the maritime museum turn right up Bugle Street and head for St Joseph"s Church where you will find the Titanic restaurant staff memorial. This is a brass plaque incorporated in an oak table commemorating the brave staff of the ship's Ritz restaurant.

You should then turn right and go through the square by St Michael"s Church, cross Castle Way and head down St Michael"s Street.

At the bottom of the road cross over the High Street to the corner of Bernard Street where there is a Titanic staff memorial urn at the ruins of Holyrood Church.

Turning right, back on to the High Street, make your way up towards the city's impressive Bargate, through the pedestrian precinct and carry on to the end of Above Bar Street. On your left you will come to Guildhall Square and the Civic Centre.

Directly in front of you is the Guildhall, but if you carry-on around the building in a clockwise direction, you will come to the Municipal Building, which is now home to the Postal Worker's Memorial. Situated outside the Council Chamber, the memorial was made by melting down Titanic's spare propeller.

If you continue walking around the Civic Centre, you will next come to the Sea City Museum, which is housed in the former Magistrate's Court and a new £15m extension.

Here you will find a permanent exhibition to the Titanic disaster and the impact it had upon Southampton and its people. The museum opens in April 2012.

Returning to Above Bar Street, continue walking north. On the right-hand side in East Park is the city's memorial to the Titanic's engineers. This is the largest memorial to the disaster in the city and is situated almost opposite the Cenotaph.

The memorial was opened in 1914 and drew huge crowds, wishing to pay their respects to the lost souls.

The final stop on Southampton"s Titanic Trail is at the junction of London Road and Cumberland Place where the Titanic musicians" memorial is situated.

It is rumoured that as the ship was going down to her icy grave the musicians kept on playing, and their courage is remembered here with their own monument.

The current memorial is a replica of an earlier one that was on located on this site, but was destroyed during the Southampton Blitz in 1940.

If you wish to carry on further afield, Southampton Old Cemetery, which can be found in The Common, on Hill Lane, is the final resting place of a number of survivors of the Titanic disaster. Other parts of the city, such as Holy Rood estate are very different to how they were in 1912, yet you can still see glimpses of the past or special memorials and artwork erected to commemorate the impact the disaster had on Southampton.

Southampton City Council also run a number of guided tours. For more information, contact tourist.information@southampton.co.uk or phone on (023) 8083 3333.