| By Jake Simpkin April 2014 |
| South
Western House is a Grade II listed building
situated adjacent to the old Terminus Railway
Station, near to Dock Gate 4. It was built as a
hotel by a private developer about 1865, who
leased the land off the London & South Western
Railway Company.
|
A view of the hotel from
Terminus Terrace |
| The
style is High Victorian contemporary with
London's Charing Cross station. Originally the
hotel was built over the ends of the railway
lines, so that passengers could alight the train
on platforms that came right into the hotel,
almost cutting it in two on the ground floor.
The architect was John Norton of London. It was
named the Imperial Hotel, and opened before it
was finished in 1867. Soon after the developer
went bankrupt. Subsequently, the development was
taken over by LSWR Company, completed, and
renamed the South Western Hotel in 1871, but not
before the town council had proposed turning it into a lunatic asylum. |
| The
design of the building can only be described as
extravagant. It comprises six stories, with the
upper two floors in the mansard roof. The
construction is of brick, with stone
embellishments, and elaborate window surrounds.
A feature of the second floor is small balconies
with wrought iron balustrades. At the east end
of the building, above the 5th floor level, is
an interesting pediment, below which is a stone
relief carving of Queen Victoria in the company
of angels. To the sides are depictions of steam
powered trains and ships, and the trappings of
high culture, associated with the British Empire at the height of its power |
| At
the turn of the 20th century Southampton docks
was establishing itself as a major terminal port
for the growing Atlantic trade, as liners of
Cunard, White Star, American Line, NDL, and
Hamburg America Line increased in size, speed
and luxury. In turn South Western House was
modernised by Maples, the famous London
decorating firm. New fittings and furniture were
added, ornamental panels were repainted in blue
and gold, and the kitchens and offices renewed.
New electric lifts were provided to all floors.
In all it cost £28,000. The 'time-ball, which
originally stood on top the medieval God's House
Tower, was moved to the roof of South Western
House in 1904. In the 1920s a large seven story
extension was built on the railway station side.
It is faced with ashlar stucco finish with
bronze windows, grilles, and street lanterns.
The grand main entrance to South Western House
is part of the new building. The design is
sumptuous, with marble columns, wall panelling,
and high decorative ceiling mouldings. It is
believed that the Titanic's majestic staircase
was copied from the hotel's own design. |
| It
was at the South Western that first class
passengers spent their last night before sailing
on the ill-fated Titanic. Both Bruce Ismay,
chairman of White Star Line, and Thomas Andrews,
Titanic's head designer, stayed before the
fateful sailing. Sometimes on the stars and
along the corridors, one senses an echo of those
who perished in the icy waters of the North
Atlantic. |
|
South Western House was the town's first grand
hotel. Porters in red livery would meet
passengers, and incoming liners were wired from
Hurst Castle for the convenience of guests
awaiting the arrival of old friends. It was at
the centre of Southampton's high society. The
venue of business lunches, where important men
from the docks and shipping lines discussed
their great plans. Its heyday was the 20s and
30s, during the golden age of ocean liners, when
4 funnelled liners competed for the Blue Riband.
The entire building is steeped in historical
events. Rich and famous guests included royalty,
politicians, and movie stars, such as Spencer
Tracy and Debora Kerr. Tom Mix was once said to
have ridden his horse through the Foyer. The
reputation of the hotel grew on both sides of
the Atlantic being known to thousands of
travellers. |
| It
continued as a hotel until WW2, after which it
never reopened. During the war it was
requisitioned by the military to become HMS
Shrapnel, a training centre for electrical
units, and functioning as the Centre of Combined
Operations playing an important role in the
planning of D-Day. It is believed that Churchill
and Eisenhower had a high level meeting there.
|
|
After the war it was converted into offices and
occupied by departments of British Railways, and
governments sections, before the shipping line
Cunard created an office complex there. The
BBC's 30 year association with South Western
House started in 1961. The original news
programme 'South at Six' was presented by Martin
Muncaster. It was later renamed 'South Today',
with long serving anchor-man Bruce Parker. Great
events within the docks were witnessed and
reported from the building; the 1966 Seaman's
strike; the final sailing of the Queen Mary in
1967; and ships departing and arriving back from
the Falklands war. |
| The
BBC vacated South Western House in 1991, after
which the building fell into some disrepair. In
1998 this iconic building was given a new lease
of life by Berkley Homes Ltd who converted its
150,000 square feet into 77 apartments, with
prices ranging from £88,000 to over £400,000.
Today, South Western House stands not only as a monument
to Southampton's history, but as a symbol of 150 years of change. |
| |
Bibliography:
Southampton's Historic Buildings (1981) R. J.
Coles
Southampton Through the Ages (1997) Peter Kilby
Titanic Voices (1994) Hyslop, Forsyth & Jemima
The Daily Echo; 15 May 1998; 23 September 1998.
Berkeley Homes, The Imperial Apartments,
information and price list.
Pete Simpkin BBC 'South At Six' |
A view of the hotel from
Canute Road
|
A feature of the second
floor is small balconies with wrought iron
balustrades
|
Above 5th floor level, is
an interesting pediment, below which is a stone
relief carving of Queen Victoria
|
The grand main entrance is
sumptuous, with marble columns, wall panelling,
and high decorative ceiling mouldings
|
It is believed that the
Titanic's majestic staircase was copied from the
hotel's own design
|
1920s extension displaying
bronze windows, grilles, and street lanterns
|
The main entrance is under
the Terminus Station glass canopy
|
|