Gateway to the World
The premier port
In the 1930s, ships sailed from Southampton across the globe,
making it the 'Gateway to the World'. But the port rose from humble
beginnings. The ancient seaport of Hamptun, from which Southampton gets its
name, appears in some of the country's earliest historical
records. Early traders came from France, Greece and the Middle
East. The rise of Southampton's port started with the arrival of
Norman invaders - by 1300, wine and wool were traded there. In
1402, merchants from Genoa in modern Italy were granted permission
by King Henry IV to land all their goods at Southampton. Competition from other ports, such as London, saw trade decrease
until the opening of the first dock in the town in 1836. Since
then, the port expanded rapidly and was taken over by the London
and South Western Railway in 1892. The 1938 handbook to Southampton
Docks states that:- "Within comparatively recent years, Southampton has become
established as one of the foremost commercial seaports of Britain.
The facilities and equipment are among the finest in the world, and
the development of the dock system under Railway Company ownership
has been marked by an era of progress unparalleled in the history
of the port. This great increase in trade has conferred upon
Southampton the title of Britain's Premier Passenger Port and also
the forth port in respect of the value of freight traffic dealt
with."
In 1936, Southampton docks handled 46% of all the UK's
ocean-going passenger traffic.
| Passengers arriving or departing | 560,000 | | Visitors to see the docks and liners | 500,000 | | Cruise passengers | 70,000 | | Passenger trains handled | 2,500 | | Shipping using the docks | 18.5 million tons | | Shipping lines using the docks | 32 | | Number of world ports served | 160 |
Southampton also handled a large amount
of cargo. Nearly 90% of South Africa's fruit
exports to the UK was handled at Southampton. Express freight
trains enabled produce landed at Southampton in the morning to be
on sale in London fruit markets in the afternoon.
| Fruit handled | over 7 million packages
including 1.5 million bunches of bananas | | Wagons handled | 160,000 | | Freight trains handled | 4,200 |
The facilities provided by the dock owners
were impressive. | Total length of quay space | 29,000 ft (8.7 km) | | Dry docks | 7
The King George (No 7) dry dock was the largest in the world and
could accommodate liners of up to 100,000 tons. | | Number of cranes | 140 | | Number of electric platform trucks for moving cargo | 61 |
Southampton's position undoubtedly helped it to
flourish. The difference between high and low tide is on
average only five ft (1.5 metres) . At its narrowest
part, the approaches to the port along Southampton Water
are over 600 ft (180 metres) wide - equivalent to a 16-lane
motorway. The handbook continues:- "It is understandable that Southampton, situated within the
complete shelter of the Isle of Wight and enjoying the rare
distinction of high tide four times a day should have been a port
of considerable importance. The port's great natural advantages,
its ideal position on the south coast and its intensely populated
hinterland [surrounding area] have been fully exploited ... in
pursuing a policy of enterprise and foresight."
It is no wonder that Southampton's port became known as the
'Gateway to the World'.
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