We have been commissioned for several bespoke kitchen designs near Southampton, but never in the city itself which has an amazing transport history.

Situated on the Solent in Hampshire, it is now a modern port city with a rich past, and one of the most populated cities in Southern England (population 250,000).  Notable towns that sit close by include Lymington, Beaulieu and Brockenhurst.  Whilst further north Winchester, Alresford and Alton offer more rural and historical architecture.

Steeped in maritime history; which can often influence our bespoke kitchen designs; Southampton was the departure point for those fighting in the Battle of Agincourt, as well as for the Pilgrim Fathers aboard Mayflower in 1620.  Having become a spa town in 1740, it became a popular site for sea bathing in the 1760s despite never really having a good beach!

The Victorian era saw major development with the Southampton Docks company formed in 1835, with the following few decades seeing structural and economical development.  In 1912 RMS Titanic sailed from Southampton on its only journey west, and it was also responsible for the significantly more successful form of transport, the Spitfire.  It was also the embarkation point for D Day troops.

For 100 years from 1904 to 2004 Thornycroft shipbuilding yard was a major employer, building and repairing ships.  During the second World War, Southampton was badly bombed, destroying much of the city’s original architecture, only pockets of Georgian architecture survived.  It could be said that the city has been in redevelopment ever since, with the completion of the West Quay South development being one its more recent significant mixed use developments.

Southampton has always been a port, and the docks have long been a major employer in the city.  Today it remains home to luxury cruise ships, as well as being the largest freight port on the Channel coast and fourth-largest UK port by tonnage, with several container terminals.

It hosts the annual Southampton Boat Show, and is home to the Premiere League’s Southampton Football Club – affectionally nicknamed “The Saints”.  The University of Southampton is ranked in the top 100 research universities in the world.  Rishi Sunak, the current UK prime minister and former Chancellor of the Exchequer, was born in the city in 1980.

The city and the villages and towns that surround it offer a variety of architectural styles to influence and draw inspiration from.  A city rich with maritime history it is sure to offer design inspiration.