Shop Local Southampton

This week sees the return of Southampton Dub Club, the launch of Southampton Film Week. We’d like to congratulate City Of Southampton Orchestra on their 50th anniversary, the piece about Southampton they commissioned for the event sounds great. Huge names such as Biffy Clyro and Pete Tong and the Welsh National Opera sit alongside local legends such as These Septic Stars and Grant Sharkey this week. What are you looking forward to? We’d love to hear your thoughts on our Facebook post.

==== TUESDAY 02 NOVEMBER ====
—- Live Music —-
La Serenissima (17th Centuary Venetian ensemble) Great Italian Concertos | Turner Sims <20:00>
www.facebook.com/events/1689233827917109
– Their Honary Patron is the Italian Ambassador to the UK

Will Varley (folk, Brixton) | The Joiners <19:30>
www.facebook.com/events/5960388630669403

Old Selves + Canavar + Helestios | Suburbia <19:30>
www.facebook.com/events/355452885454987

November Jam, Part One | Gusto lounge <20:00>
www.facebook.com/events/464851814906621

—- DJs and Club Nights —-
Halloween Learning Difficulties Club Night | The Edge <19:00>
www.facebook.com/events/297744165140165

—- Shows —-
Welsh National Opera – Madam Butterfly / The Barber of Seville | Mayflower Theatre <19:00>
www.facebook.com/events/485796932490202

==== WEDNESDAY 03 NOVEMBER ====
—- Live Music —-
Biffy Clyro (rock, Glasgow) | Southampton Guildhall <19:00>
www.facebook.com/events/575298883138860

Oracle Sisters (indie-folk, Paris) | Heartbreakers <19:30>
www.facebook.com/events/1373142256412321

White Flowers (dream pop, Preston) Heka + Superdrone | The Joiners <19:30>
www.facebook.com/events/810633156554413

Open Mic | Suburbia
www.facebook.com/events/4384130578330018

—- DJs and Club Nights —-
Salt Sweat Riot (Rocktail Riot vs Salt Sweat Sugar) – Alt + Pop Night | The Shooting Star <22:00>
www.facebook.com/events/471944354152187

—- Events —-
November Book Club | The Art House <19:30>
www.facebook.com/events/2226444707509520

Kickboxing & Fitness | Drummond Centre <19:30>
www.facebook.com/events/4482943028479224

Wednesday Women – Monthly Conversations | Arches Studios <18:00>
www.facebook.com/events/320147783249006

==== THURSDAY 04 NOVEMBER ====
—- Live Music —-
Isobel Thatcher (blues, London) Live at Belgium & Blues | Belgium and Blues <20:30>
www.facebook.com/events/600361624415962

TV Priest (punk, London) | Heartbreakers <19:30>
www.facebook.com/events/2824225661158330

Open Mic with Fragile Lucy | The Rockstone <19:30>
www.facebook.com/events/605273627177748

Higher Power (punk, Leeds) + Static Dress | The Joiners <19:30>
www.facebook.com/events/426289722205267

Jazz Brew ft. Sundail | Mettricks Guildhall <19:00>
www.facebook.com/events/570157264060751

The Henrys | The Arches Artist Studios, Captains Place <19:00>
www.facebook.com/events/387733563002008

—- DJs and Club Nights —-
Full Phat – Ego Trippin & T95 | Engine Rooms <22:00>
www.facebook.com/events/1039875723480745

Bad Advice Hotline ‘Burn Everything Party’ | Suburbia <21:00>
www.facebook.com/events/930401521163157

—- Shows —-
Klub Kids: The Lawrence Chaney Show | Southampton <19:30>
www.facebook.com/events/324863259106213

Itchen for a Laugh: Russell Kane and Friends | St Mary’s Stadium <18:00>
www.facebook.com/events/454859922545661

==== FRIDAY 05 NOVEMBER ====
—- Live Music —-
Manu Delago (handpan player and composer, Austria) | Turner Sims <20:00>
www.facebook.com/events/2947572862237309

Vicki Delirious Presents an Evening of Comedy and Music | The Firehouse <20:30>
ft. These Septic Stars (Experimental Alt Rock, Southampton), Rick Murtagh, Glenn Braley, Spydey
www.facebook.com/events/802753803744977

Pylon Poets (alt rock, Torquay) + Jukebox Antics | The Hobbit <20:00>
www.facebook.com/events/2044518985705265

Wren (singer with evolving electronic collective, South Coast) | The Brook <19:30>
www.facebook.com/events/3009564136030149

Grant Sharkey (Double Bass / Comedy, Southampton) Album Launch | The Art House <19:30>
www.facebook.com/events/907881356525929

—- Live Music (Covers) —-
New Age (modern rock) | The Hinkler <21:00>
www.facebook.com/events/923417441588850

Somethin’else (classic rock, Southampton) | The Dolphin, St Denys <20:30>
www.facebook.com/events/920342965495302

—- DJs and Club Nights —-
Joining Dots – DJ Sangmatron | Mettricks Guildhall <19:00>
www.facebook.com/events/541534363588008

Kevin & Perry Go Large – Tribute Gig | Engine Rooms <19:00>
www.facebook.com/events/368707771599751

Juiced – Disney Takeover | Switch <22:00>
www.facebook.com/events/202516455300036

Karaoke with DJ Daz | Brass Monkey <20:00>
www.facebook.com/events/1394399274290498

Karaoke Party Night | Pre-Bar <20:00>
www.facebook.com/events/471735980820554

Beyond Blues with Justin P | Belgium and Blues <20:00>
www.facebook.com/events/466563007948986

Pop Punk vs Punk Rock | Beards & Boards <17:00>
www.facebook.com/events/270123101679546

—- Shows —-
Solve Along a Murder She Wrote: The Corpse Flew First Class | The Stage Door <19:30>
www.facebook.com/events/399531751673435

—- Events —-
Southampton Film Week Launch ft. Film Week Shorts | MAST Mayflower Studios <19:30>
www.facebook.com/events/342395107656817

Saints vs Aston Villa | St Mary’s Stadium <20:00>
www.facebook.com/events/391573665652496

Southampton Careers Fair | St Mary’s Stadium <10:00>
www.facebook.com/events/340369607541359

==== SATURDAY 06 NOVEMBER ====
—- Live Music —-
City Of Southampton Orchestra 50th Anniversary: Premier of a piece comissioned by John Traill celebrating Southampton | Turner Sims <19:30>
www.facebook.com/events/6338648686176184

Hound Dogs for Hire (blues, Bournemouth) | Belgium and Blues <21:30>
www.facebook.com/events/945409426047866

Hayseed Dixie (rockgrass, Nashville) 8 Ball Aitken | The Brook <19:30>
www.facebook.com/events/2519937978127402

Dreameater & Maj | The Hobbit <19:00>
www.facebook.com/events/1137693196757541

Sarpa Salpa (alt-pop, Northampton) | Heartbreakers <19:00>
www.facebook.com/events/616097692712204

Paul Jude Wilson | La Baronia <19:00>
www.facebook.com/events/572734760427525

Last Hyena (math rock, Bristol) | Suburbia <18:30>
www.facebook.com/events/892611771422634

Paul Solomons | London Road Brew House <20:00>
www.facebook.com/events/4706387022758334

Lennon Taylor | Brass Monkey <20:00>
www.facebook.com/events/339299547894426

Tau | Polski Klub Southampton <19:00>
www.facebook.com/events/490965001826005

—- Live Music (Covers) —-
Always After Eight (Party Rock) | The Dolphin, St Denys <20:30>
www.facebook.com/events/427504591828344

Steven McGrattan (accoustic covers) | The Waterloo Arms <19:00>
www.facebook.com/events/299014211762312

—- DJs and Club Nights —-
Pete Tong | Engine Rooms <23:00>
www.facebook.com/events/130113935727123

Southampton Dub Club | Sobar <22:00>
www.facebook.com/events/1460743904358516

Toasty Beats Presents Ruze | The Alexandra <14:00>
www.facebook.com/events/276625787617760

House of Anthems | Saints Pub <21:00>
www.facebook.com/events/1586678064836107

Oxygen Pop Night | Pre-Bar <21:00>
www.facebook.com/events/244309660997710

Shockwave: Rock & Metal Night | The Shooting Star <21:00>
www.facebook.com/events/200544635403681

Island Ting w/ Amaria Bb | Fever & Vibe <22:00>
www.facebook.com/events/324618456088325

—- Shows —-
Pete Firman – Bag of Tricks (magic) | Hanger Farm Arts Centre, Totton <19:30>
www.facebook.com/events/189203852300663

—- Events —-
Queen’s Gambit Club | Board in the City <18:00>
www.facebook.com/events/578018130136565

Author Talk: The Importance of Being Interested by Robin Ince | October Books <14:00>
www.facebook.com/events/340450471202872

Global Day of Action for Climate Justice | Guildhall Square <12:00>
www.facebook.com/events/384171683389711

==== SUNDAY 07 NOVEMBER ====
—- Live Music —-
Ian Siegal (blues, Portsmouth) | The 1865 <19:30>
www.facebook.com/events/412150530377232

October Drift (indie, Taunton) | The Joiners <19:00>
Support: Junodef, The Rambling Club (Indie, Southampton)
www.facebook.com/events/296927504916674

Chris Ricketts | Marcos Bar Ristorante <19:30>
www.facebook.com/events/586425112673814

—- Live Music (Covers) —-
Nemesis (rock) | The Robin Hood, Sholing <17:00>
www.facebook.com/events/457520529035901

—- DJs and Club Nights —-
Working Men’s Club (synthpop, Yorkshire) | Engine Rooms <19:30>
www.facebook.com/events/2820584971590101

Dachshund Disco | Revolucion de Cuba Southampton <11:20>
www.facebook.com/events/219150696821379

Cockapoo Cafe | Revolucion de Cuba Southampton <10:00>
www.facebook.com/events/843438089703114

—- Events —-
Christmas Handmade Craft Fair | Hanger Farm Arts Centre, Totton <11:00>
www.facebook.com/events/4524142624335259

Charity Fire Engine Pull | Exbury Gardens & Steam Railway <11:00>
www.facebook.com/events/667814417500340

Ropewalk Gardening | Ropewalk Community Garden <10:30>
www.facebook.com/events/405904974236295

==== MONDAY 08 NOVEMBER ====
—- Live Music —-
Crow Black Chicken (blues-rock, Cork) | The 1865 <19:00>
www.facebook.com/events/851048345685364

—- Events —-
Veg Out Community Café | October Books
https://www.facebook.com/popupvegan

Bakeries are awesome. They deserve our support.

Artisan bakeries understandably attract a premium but there are plenty of great traditional and international bakeries still offering tasty morsels at surprisingly low prices. Hoffers Bakery on Burgess Road are one such place. Still keeping up the tradition of mixing and baking their own bread daily, these delicious and fresh crusty rolls cost me just £1.

Aside from being delicious and locally owned, there are other benefits too such as cutting down on food miles and packaging.

There are bakeries dotted all around the city but there aren’t plentiful enough to take them for granted. Indeed, Shop Local Southampton was originally founded after my favourite French bakery (Victor Hugo Boulangerie) closed down in Old Town.

So, next time you need some baked goods why not head down to your local bakery? Here are some of my favourites, if you have any to add to the list please mention them in our Facebook group:

– Hoffers Bakery, Burgess Road
– G. Cotton Bakers, Bitterne Park Triangle
– The Oven Door, Woolston
– Dani & Deea Artisan Bakery & Patisserie, East Street
– Hoxton Bakehouse (Millbrook / available at Gods House Tower)
– Bakers Dozen, Netley

This isn’t even to mention all the great local cafes baking their own goods, and the enterprising locals who own their own cake baking businesses.

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending Arches Open Studios 2021, an annual opportunity to enter a vibrant world of artist workshops hidden under Central Bridge, and enjoy live music, interactive art, and refreshment courtesy of Butcher’s Hook.

This was followed up by attending Re:Claim Southampton – an event on such a scale that seeing everything would be impossible. The diversity of the city’s cultural offering was on full display. Guildhall Square was shared by the hip hop stage, street art demonstrations, skateboarding festival and cage football.

In the parks, the thumping sounds of Jerk Jam and the Headsessions Soundsystem brought the likes of King Tubby and Channel One Soundsystem to the city.

A more peaceful experience awaited at the Luminarium, a blow up network of tunnels and chambers filled with light and ethereal sounds.

City favourites Foor and Tyrone brought the festivities to a close with a sundown UK Garage set on Westquay esplanade.

After hours, the street party on Carlton Place showed off the city’s new pedestrianised hospitality area in style, with local bars providing liquid refreshment.

This weekend has left me with the feeling that yes – Southampton can, and arguably should, be City of Culture 2025.

Big thanks to the fantastic GO! Southampton (who, in related news, definitely deserve their charter renewal) for making the event happen. Thanks also to SoCo Music Project, Solent University, BBC Music, Southampton City Council, Jerk Jam, Headsessions Soundsystem, Southampton Hiphop Heritage, ZoieLogic, Architects of Air, Skate Southampton, and everyone involved in organising Re:Claim Southampton. And of course to the artists of Arches Studios for opening their workspaces to the public once again.

And it doesn’t stop there – next weekend sees the welcome return of Music in the City. Venues are spread across the city from Bedford Place to Gods House Tower, including the opportunity to enjoy performances in city vaults usually off-limits to the public.

Yesterday, Southampton was able to get together and enjoy the return of Southampton Pride to the August Bank Holiday weekend, starting with a new parade route from Queens Park leading to an 11-hour celebration at Guildhall Square, with the Guildhall providing a stunning backdrop for the newly located main stage.

There will be an Official Pride Aftermovie released soon, but until then if you’d like a taste of the main stage action there are recordings of the live streams on Facebook.

Southampton Pride Livestream Part One
– Hunting Hearts
– Aura Jay (compère)
– Bella Black
– MAST Theatre (performing from Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World)
– Timeless
– Lucinda Lashes (compère)
– Meg Emelie and Lawrence (2:17:30)
– The Neptune Girls (2:42:10)
– DJ Claire Fuller
– The Dolly Show (3:23:40)
– Golden Groove (3:58:30)
– Cherry Liquor (compère from 4:41:20)
– Eva Iglesias

Southampton Pride Livestream Part 2
– Our Propaganda
– Jade Chamberlain (as Kylie)
– Joe Black (compère from 1:14:30)
– Sam Callahan (1:19:20)
– Dawn
– Shannon B

The multi-camera set up, giant screen and live stream provided by the students of Solent University was an impressive feat, and I’m sure one appreciated by those who were isolating and could not attend. Unfortunately not all the acts are available online – for example the energetic closing performance by Donna Marie as Lady Gaga (pictured below), and none of the great acts on the second ‘SO Stage’ were live streamed (I made a note to look up Anna Foye who was awesome).

Putting together a large event such as Pride is a monumental logistical undertaking at the best of times. Given the stories coming out of other events concerning the lack of basic facilities such as toilets is to the credit to the organisers that everything ran so smoothly. The new parade route starting in Queens Park worked well, as did a brilliant and varied programme of performances on both stages, and important details such as the acoustics, well stocked bars, food trucks and well maintained toilets.

Most importantly, the city was able to get together to celebrate, support and demand the universal freedom to be who you want to be and the freedom to engage in any consenting adult relationships. Unfortunately this fundamental freedom is still not enjoyed by many around the world.

Southampton Pride is a free event to attend (something that is making it more unique by the year), but not a free event to put on. If you’d like to support Pride there’s usually a donations bucket in The Stage Door / Painted Wagon, or there are volunteer opportunities and an official merchandise shop.

My thanks to all the organisers, volunteers and supporting businesses and organisations for making Southampton Pride an event we can all enjoy, and be proud of.

As part of a series of events marking 400 years since the Mayflower’s departure from Southampton and Plymouth, last night we were treated to a surreal, fun and quirky sci-fi dance display. At 8pm, the ‘Future Cargo’ truck ominously sitting on Guildhall Square opens up and reveals its contents. I guarantee Guildhall Square has never quite seen anything like it.

The display makes full use of an internal conveyor belt and a Tardis-esque number of props. The coordination between the dancers, who are kept very busy throughout the 45 minute run time, is spot on and very other-worldly. The action on ‘screen’ is matched by stereo sound delivered through special headphones, really taking you out of the square and into the world of Future Cargo.

We finished the evening with drinks at Mettricks Guildhall, and what may be a contender for the best halloumi fries in the city. Coated in a ‘Southern fried halloumi’ style they were crunchy on the outside and gooey in the middle. They pair very well with the 2 for £10 cocktail offer.

The last opportunity to see it is tonight, and tickets are still available via the Visit Southampton website. If you can catch it, I thoroughly recommend it.

The original Shop Local Southampton survey of readers demonstrated a huge show of support for the Bedford Place car-free scheme, with 96.2% of 500 responders having a positive opinion of it. Unfortunately, soon after we published the results, the council decided to announce that the scheme was to close in mid-July after its own survey of businesses on Bedford Place showed a small margin in favour of the action.

Shop Local Southampton carried out its own survey of businesses and the results are very interesting. Of the Bedford Place businesses inside the current car-free zone, 5 of 6 approved of the scheme remaining at all times. Looking at the wider Bedford Place, businesses were split precisely 50/50 on whether to re-open the road to cars during the day (comparing the red and orange sections of the graphs with the blue) – though there was a large majority (73% discounting neutral responses) in favour of a car-free scheme in the evenings and weekends.
Note: In the graphs below, ‘Approve’ refers to a business approving of the car-free scheme continuing full time.

When adding Carlton Place businesses to the results, there is a large degree of support for maintaining the car-free zone at all times.

Whether supporting or opposing the scheme, I had some great conversations with business owners in the area. On either side of the debate there is a strong desire for Bedford Place to become a destination area, and I’m sure there is room for mutual agreement. Most of those I talked with on both sides of the debate expressed widespread support for other measures such as:
– Traffic calming (e.g. raised platforms to reduce speed, single lane areas)
– Enforcement of a reduced speed limit (20mph zone)
– Additional seating / road narrowing (e.g. for restaurants outside of the current scheme, and using spare capacity in Upper Banister Street Car Park)
– Investment in the scheme area and expanding the reach of improvements to the rest of Bedford Place, e.g. with street art

The raw data of responses can be found in the table below. I did try to reach every business in Bedford Place and Carlton Place, but unfortunately in some cases the owner wasn’t available and we weren’t able to communicate remotely. My apologies if we didn’t get to speak this time.

Where do we go from here? It is clear from the original Shop Local Southampton member survey that there is widespread support for the Bedford Place scheme. Other surveys have shown majority support amongst local residents. Even within Bedford Place businesses, there is strong support for the scheme continuing in some form, though they are split on opening during the day. I didn’t find majority support for ending the car-free zone amongst any group of businesses.

If the road is to re-open to cars during the day, we should not wait a year to implement an evening / weekend car-free scheme – we should look to automated barriers immediately, or delay any changes, so that businesses can continue to benefit from the extra space in the critical summer months. We should also look to other road calming measures to avoid a return of dangerously fast cars to the area, to add more space for visitors and residents to roam safely, and to improve the overall aesthetic of Bedford Place.

Thanks to everyone that has engaged so far, from those who responded to the original survey, to the hundreds of detailed comments and ideas for Bedford Place and our city, and to businesses and councillors on all sides of the debate. Bedford Place presents us with a real opportunity for Southampton to have its very own boutique shopping, eating and drinking district. Let’s make something great happen!

Something that continues to amaze me is the full range of local products you can now buy in Southampton. Bitterne Park Stores is an exemplar of this, selling everything from local art to local honey, locally roasted coffee to locally produced rum. Now, thanks to Sergeant Pepper, we can experience authentic Barbadian sauce made right here in Southampton, and quite frankly it’s so good it demands its own blog post.

The three sauces available are:
– BBQ Blaze
– Caribbean Curry
– Original

My favourite is the Caribbean Curry. You can tell, because my the time I took the photo above a lot had already gone. I add some of the sauce as a base for a curry along side coconut milk and the usual vegetables and spices, but it also goes really well as a dipping side to another Caribbean favourite – mac and cheese.

The BBQ Blaze is honestly so hot that it will last you a long time. In terms of heat, the Original sits in the middle but still packs a punch.

You can buy the sauces via the Bitterne Box Company delivery service or in store.

Firstly, I’d like to express a huge thanks to everyone who responded to our Bedford Place and Southampton Transport Survey – a massive 500 of you over just a few days. 92% of you who responded are residents, and the remaining 8% visitors – 17% of you additionally work for or own a local business. All responses required a log in to combat duplicate entries, so I feel confident in the accuracy of the opinions collected.

Overall I must say – wow. We have received input spanning the full spectrum of opinion, political views and backgrounds. The comments you have written are well thought out and full of practical ideas and constructive input. I have never experienced such passion from our membership on a particular issue before, and presenting the results to you all and to the council leadership is humbling.

I would also like to express my thanks to Daniel Fitzhenry, leader of Southampton City Council, who has been approachable throughout and is keen to hear your input on these matters as part of their review into the Bedford Place scheme and wider city projects,

So, on with the results from the opinion gauging portion of the survey:

– Do you think Southampton should encourage alternatives to car travel (e.g. for pollution, congestion or fitness)?
[1 = strongly object, 5 = strongly support]

– What is your opinion of the Bedford Place car free scheme and its impact on Bedford Place as a destination?
[1 = strongly object, 5 = strongly support]

– What is your opinion on proposals to reduce cross-city car travel by diverting cars to the ring road and encouraging active travel and public transport?
[1 = strongly object, 5 = strongly support]

Now, on to your comments
Once again you have blown me away – collectively you wrote over 20,000 words. To the members of Southampton City Council – I know this may seem slightly daunting but people have put a lot of thought into what they want to say, I hope you are able to give the time to read over them.

To make it easier to read I decided to categorise them to the best of my ability (it took a while – please let me know if I have misrepresented your view, for which you have my apologies). I have removed sensitive personal information, and only 3 comments were not publishable for various reasons. The time put into the comments makes this the most important and impactful part of the survey:

Comments Supporting the Bedford Place Scheme (151)
Comments with Mixed Views on the Bedford Place Scheme (2)
Comments Opposing the Bedford Place Scheme (5)

Comments Supporting other Green Initiatives (e.g. City Centre Transformation Plan) (93)
Comments with Mixed Views on Green Initiatives (4)
Comments Opposing Green Initiatives (1)

Miscellaneous Comments (4)

Though it is an great privilege to represent all of the views given, the overall message of Shop Local readers is undeniably one of overwhelming support for green initiatives, keeping and building on Bedford Place as a car-free hub, and finding alternative, safer and cleaner transport solutions for our future.

I would like to finish by thanking all of you who contributed to or read the results of our survey once again. Shop Local Southampton is here to promote local businesses, artists and groups, but most importantly it’s here to foster a community and make Southampton a better place for us all. I promise to work with the council and to represent the views of our members to the best of my ability.

Many Thanks,
Chris Zardis and the Members of Shop Local Southampton

For part 1 of Sarah’s exploration of the Galleries & Studios of Southampton, click here.

6. Art’el at Bitterne Park Stores

A new addition following a successful pop-up shop in the same building over the Christmas period, Art’el offers a small but carefully curated selection of local arts and crafts in a corner of the new Bitterne Park Stores. Run by Helen Trimarco Ransome, a local glass artist and multi-talented craftsperson, Art’el displays three artists’ work each month in a corner tucked amongst the fresh fruit and veg. The shop itself only opened in February this year, and offerings to date have included hand drawn mandalas by Harriet Stewart, glass art, Powertex sculpture, one-of-a-kind bags and textiles from Sue Badcrumble and (dare I say it) a handful of my own paintings. All artists live in Southampton, many within walking distance of the shop itself – and combined with the wide selection of local fruit, veg, groceries and drinks that BP Stores provides, the shop is a truly local offering.

A little bird tells me that Art’el is exploring options to exhibit in other spaces, including (hopefully) a rerun of their fantastic popup shop around Christmas. Keep an eye on Shop Local for announcements.

There is one step to enter Bitterne Park Stores, and due to its small size the shop is not wheelchair accessible – although staff are more than happy to bring goods out for any customer who can’t access the shop itself. Art’el’s corner is on the ground floor. A short flight of steps leads to a second room of groceries at the back of the shop.

7. The Bridge Gallery

Nestled amongst the independent shops and cafes of Bedford Place, the Bridge Gallery is a family-run framing shop that also offers a wide selection of original artworks and prints. The space is bigger than it looks, as there is also a first floor gallery which is available to rent for artists wishing to display their work. The staff are friendly, and great at helping with the tricky decision of which frame looks best! The shop also offers a restoration service.

The ground floor of the building is fully accessible. The first floor gallery is accessed via stairs with a handrail. Please contact the venue if you have any queries.

8. Harbour Lights Cinema

Now re-opened, Harbour Lights has a gem of a gallery that is often overlooked by cinema-goers. Tucked behind the second set of stairs, to the right of the bar, the light, modern space is available to hire by local artists for solo shows. The venue displays a wide variety of artworks and – a bonus for the artist – charges a flat fee for hire rather than commission. As an artist-led space you can expect a huge variety of work, with the display changing each month. A great spot to browse before or after a film – with a helping of the excellent cake from the coffee shop of course! 

Fully accessible with lift and accessible toilet.

9. The Art House

(Almost) last but certainly not least, the Art House is a hub of community activity. Staffed mainly by volunteers, the quirky venue combines a gallery, vegetarian café, shop and gallery with a range of events and workshops. Exhibitions range from solo shows by local artists to themed shows and large group exhibitions showcasing work from new and emerging artists across the city and the wider area. Enjoy a vegetarian mezze or a cup of herbal tea whilst perusing the art on the walls, or explore the shop selling upcycled clothing and crafts. In fairer times the venue hosts a range of events from language cafes to music, spoken word to crafts – so there is truly something for everyone.

The ground floor is fully accessible with accessible toilet. The first floor is accessed via wide stairs with a handrail. Please contact the venue if you have any queries.

10. Hampshire Open Studios

Still not quite got your art fix? Hampshire Open Studios has a solution. Every summer, hundreds of artists and craftspeople across Southampton and Hampshire open their doors to the public. From individual artists working from their homes, to large studios such as the Arches hosting many creatives under one roof, this is an incredible opportunity to meet the makers and see the artists at work.

If you’ve never been to the Arches Studios, the catacomb of hidden rooms and passageways underneath Central Bridge is quite the sight and worth the trip alone. The event usually runs in August, with some studios open daily throughout the event whilst others might throw open their doors for just a day or two. The easiest way to keep up to date is to join their mailing list – and keep an eye out for the brochure published in advance of the event, which features a handy map and plenty of pictures to help you plan who you want to visit. Art-crawl of Southampton, anyone?

Please contact individual venues for accessibility requirements.

Closing Thoughts

Hopefully that’s given you a taste of the many fabulous art venues we have on offer in the city. I’d like to give a quick shout-out to a couple of my other favourites:
– The Keepers Artist Collective, who for a while had a floor of the empty Duke’s Keep, and later a shop on East Street – featuring upcycler extraordinaire Sylvie Leost of Not Just Trash along with willow artist Jacqueline Rolls, and Leo Deville’s beautiful pottery creations
– Helen Trimarco Ransome – as well as being an incredible glass artist has also been responsible for a number of art events and community art pro.

Of course, there are plenty more artists I would have loved to have mentioned, but I had to draw the line somewhere! The difficulty in whittling down this list itself demonstrates just how much art there is to explore once you scratch the surface of Southampton.