IT may not seem like it, but Southampton and the city centre has changed a lot in the past ten years.

From the major £85 million WestQuay Watermark development to a huge new hotel and bar in Ocean Village, the city has changed as time has gone by.

We have taken a trip down memory lane using pictures from Google Street view taken before, in 2008 and 2009, and then after, between 2019 and 2020.

Use the slideron the pictures below to see just how much Southampton and the city centre as has changed over the last decade.

WestQuay

At the time of its opening the Watermark development was believed to be the biggest restaurant and leisure complex in the UK and one of the biggest in Europe.

New eateries such as The Real Greek, Saloon, Franco Manca, and Thaikhun opened back in 2016, as well as the Hollywood Bowl bowling complex and the 10-screen Cinema de Lux.

When permission was first granted for the scheme in 2008 it was going to be a mix of retail, leisure and restaurants then the economic crash came.

By the time it came to start work on the site in 2015 the retail landscape had changed - on-line shopping had grown rapidly and the demand for more shops had declined so it was decided the development would be purely for leisure.

Ocean village

The £25m development first opened its doors in 2017, welcoming to the marina a new concept five-star luxury.

The super-yacht inspired design construction project lasted two years and was hailed as the jewel in the crown of the Southampton economy.

It has 85 bedrooms, which cost £185 or more per night.

Southern Road

Southampton's £30m purpose-built police headquarters building opened back in 2011.

The eight storey station, in Southern Road, took 18 months to build and opened after the old Southampton Central police station in the Civic Centre was shut. The building is home to Hampshire’s largest custody centre with 36 cells.

Bargate

Plans have been approved to build 519 homes at the site of the former Bargate Shopping Centre.

As part of the proposals, the site will also see more green spaces, 2,515 square meters of retail space and a walkway from The Bargate to Queensway to showcase the city’s historic walls, which were previously hidden from view by the now-demolished shopping centre.

The business community in the city described the decisions as "momentous".

Read more here.

Above Bar

Southampton’s bustling Guildhall Square is well known as the Cultural Quarter of the City.

It has transformed dramatically over the last ten years and is now the hub of live music venues, museums, galleries, bars, cafes, and restaurants.

The area now houses popular venue’s Turtle Bay, Grumpy Monkey and Café Parfait.

The 450-seat NST City theatre also opened in 2018 as part of the £30m "cultural quarter" development in Guildhall Square.

The council said the building was an integral part of it UK City of Culture 2025 bid.