Current Time in Southampton, United Kingdom

Southampton stands on the south coast of England, at the head of a broad tidal inlet called Southampton Water, where the rivers Test and Itchen meet before flowing on towards the Solent and the Isle of Wight. The city occupies gently rising ground between the two rivers, with docks along the waterfront, a large common to the north and the New Forest national park just across the water to the west. An unusual double high tide gives the port exceptionally long periods of deep water.

About two hundred and fifty thousand people live in the city. Its global importance rests on the sea. Southampton is the busiest cruise port in Britain and one of the leading terminals in Europe, while its container terminal handles a large share of the country's trade with Asia and the Americas. For more than a century it was the home port of the great transatlantic liners, and it remains the base for many of the largest passenger ships in the world.

The Romans built a settlement at Clausentum, and the Anglo Saxon trading town of Hamwic flourished here in the eighth century. After the Norman conquest the town grew rich on the wine trade with Bordeaux and built stone walls that are still among the best preserved in England, along with vaulted merchant cellars. Henry V assembled his army here before Agincourt in 1415, and the Mayflower left Southampton in 1620 before being forced to put in at Plymouth. The Titanic sailed from here in April 1912, and most of her crew came from local streets, a loss the city has never forgotten. The designer R J Mitchell developed the Spitfire in Southampton, which made the city a target for severe bombing in the Second World War.

The SeaCity Museum tells the Titanic story through the experiences of those crew members and their families. Tudor House, the medieval Bargate, the surviving town walls and God's House Tower give a strong sense of the older town, while the City Art Gallery holds an outstanding collection of British twentieth century painting. Waterfront walks, the busy Solent sailing scene and the wide expanse of Southampton Common are all popular.

The Mayflower Theatre is the largest stage in southern England outside London, hosting touring musicals, opera and ballet, and the city has a long musical tradition and a well known football club at St Mary's Stadium. A large student population supports bars, live music and independent cafes, and the population is genuinely multicultural, with communities from South Asia, Poland, Africa and the Caribbean.

Fast trains reach London in just over an hour, ferries cross to the Isle of Wight, and the airport lies a few minutes from the centre. The University of Southampton is a leading research institution, particularly strong in engineering, oceanography and the study of sound and vibration, and a second university adds further courses.

Southampton is worth knowing as Britain's great ocean gateway, a city where maritime history, modern trade and coastal life come together.