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Cultural Quarter  RSS Feed RSS feed | About
Heritage centre 'will put city on map'
Click here to see images of the plans.

THE proposed multi-million-pound Southampton Heritage Centre will put the city back on the map, tourist chiefs believe.

As exclusively revealed by the Daily Echo yesterday, plans have been drawn up to transform the west wing of Southampton's iconic Civic Centre into a museum celebrating the city's history.

A three-storey glass extension at the north-west wing of the home of the city council - built across reclaimed park land - is the centrepiece of the ambitious vision.

Council leisure chiefs are desperate for the heritage centre to open in time to host a major exhibition commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Titanic disaster in 2012.

They hope the centre - which will also feature exhibitions ranging from the Second World War to the cruise industry - will give Southampton an attraction to rival Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard.

Nigel Smith, Tourism South East commercial services director, said: "This would be the premier tourist attraction in Southampton and it would be a real boost for the city and the region as a whole.

"The Civic Centre is already an iconic building so it makes sense to build around it. By combining the city's culture and heritage offering in one area, Southampton will be up there with cities like Manchester and Newcastle that have enjoyed success in recent years.

"By aiming for 2012, not only will the opening of the heritage centre tie in with the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking but we've also got the London Olympics, so there will be a lot of focus on this region."

The Daily Echo can reveal the council plans to reopen talks with the American company behind the Titanic artefacts exhibition which has toured the world but never visited Southampton.

Negotiations previously collapsed as Southampton has never had a venue large enough to host the show.

Councillor John Hannides, Cabinet member for leisure and culture, said: "What we're looking to do is to have an offering that will ensure that visitors from across the world in 2012 looking to take part in the Titanic centenary will come to Southampton as their first port of call."

The Civic Centre is already an iconic building so it makes sense to build around it. By combining the city’s culture and heritage offering in one area, Southampton will be up there with cities like Manchester and Newcastle.
Nigel Smith, Tourism South East

Steve Rigby, from the British Titanic Society, said enthusiasts from across the world would descend on Southampton to visit the centenary exhibition.

"There is so much interest in the Titanic, it was a truly international disaster.'' The plans can only go ahead with the consent of English Heritage - which protects historic buildings - as the Civic Centre is a Grade II listed building. An application for a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to finance the majority of the development will be made in September.

Click links below to see the proposals

  • View from Commercial Road
  • View from Havelock Road
  • View from Skandia House
  • Plan of new layout
  • Plan for water channel

    12:56pm Tuesday 29th January 2008

    Related Links
    Civic Centre Plans Unveiled
    Print   Email this   Comment
    Posted by: Fred, Bristol on 12:57pm Tue 29 Jan 08
    Why by the Civic? Surely a museum about Southamptons heritage would do better down by the sea or in the very least *near* the walls? Why not revamp the pier and include the heritage museum? Or by Ocean Village? Or even better down by Town Quay and build *over* the top of the old building ruins that have been covered in scaffolding for the last twenty odd years!

    What effect will this have on all the other museums in the city who seem to be struggling?

    Love the fact that that Titanic film came out over ten years ago, and only now Southampton is realising the Titanic can be a tourist attraction.
    Posted by: hmm on 1:12pm Tue 29 Jan 08
    WOW
    Posted by: Arthur T. Flowers, Shirley on 2:46pm Tue 29 Jan 08
    Hmmn...I'll believe it when I see it going by the current inertia from the hapless council. Something like this will be one step towards making this place more worthy of visitors.
    Posted by: Nothing changes, Southampton on 3:37pm Tue 29 Jan 08
    To rival Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard?! hahaha never heard anything so funny! You can't just build something like that... esp something made out of glass (no doubt cheap glass) in a really bad location (as has been pointed out above). It won't get the kind of visitor numbers they are hoping for (ie to make their money back - I'm assuming the museum won't be free?!). Just use an old container from the docks and put it in there... much cheaper and much quicker!
    Posted by: Mike, So'ton on 3:45pm Tue 29 Jan 08
    Well, what did you think they were going to do with the place once the Police moved out? Use it for Council offices and reduce unnecessary car journeys to other council properties by bringing in outlying departments? Nah! And anyway, the central Library and gallery are still there (whilst funding permits...) so it makes some sense. Does put a shadow over some of the other sites like the current Maritime museum and mayby hasten the decline of places like the Hall of Aviation.
    Posted by: An angry soton resident on 5:48pm Tue 29 Jan 08
    A premier tourist attraction in Southampton, that is a good joke. Be better of building a hugh termite mound and putting in place of the civic center.
    Posted by: David Farr, Bitterne Manor on 10:33am Wed 30 Jan 08
    When the police move out of the Civic Centre next year there will be plenty of room for the museum there. They can also move the front carpark to the same area and build an extra park/public area at the front of the building which will make it more attractive, rather than building over it
    Posted by: darren on 12:34pm Wed 30 Jan 08
    The strategy looks great - an aspirational project at last for the city - what it needs though is an international architectural design competition - the site is critical to the city and there is the real opportunity to create something iconic - a 'Guggenheim' of the south to create the regeneration potential of cities such as Bilbao - something to really put the Southampton on the map. Don't allow this opportunity to be watered down!!!
    Posted by: Ryan Thompson, Corvallis, Oregon, USA on 6:20am Sun 3 Feb 08
    I hope this focuses on other ships besides Titanic, too. I mean, Southampton's history intertwines with a lot of very famous liners.
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