Southampton (PDF)

In its heyday, the British Empire started and ended with the port of Southampton, yet the history of this most imperial of cities has been curiously neglected. In this authoritative account, Miles Taylor looks at the modern history of the city and port of Southampton through the lens of empire. He examines some of the major international celebrities associated with the region such as David Livingstone, Lord Carnarvon and General Gordon, as well as the city itself during the conflicts, from the Napoleonic to the world wars, that defined Britain's imperial period. Southampton: Gateway to the British Empire looks at the popular culture of imperialism in the port and the city, the experience of migrants and the artistic community and the thwarted attempt to bring civil aviation to the area. Above all, it is concerned with the various ways in which Southampton recorded, remembered, commemorated and sometimes forgot its imperial past. Southampton: Gateway to the British Empire flags a renaissance of interest in the local and regional history of the area. Its novel perspective on local studies integrates the history of Britain's global empire with one of the most significant cities of the metropole. It will be essential reading for anyone with an interest in Southampton and its maritime past or who enjoys urban history and wants to know more about the connections between Britain's global dominion and its domestic history.