I jumped at a recent opportunity to visit
the Titanic exhibit at Southampton's SeaCity Museum
Having sunk 100 years ago,
this temporary exhibit is timely
( no photos allowed, again )
Did you know the Titanic was discovered only in September 1985?
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| RMS Titanic wikipedia |
To manage your expectations,
this exhibit was quite small and had few, if any, actual artifacts
from the sunken ship
The exhibit did showcase replicas of items,
original documents from the White Star Line office,
interesting facts, theories, and displays
It gave an excellent glimpse into the Edwardian times of 1912,
with its clear class division, high unemployment, strikes,
emigration, and extravagant wealthy
As the museum pointed out,
the Titanic was a microcosm of society at that time
Its cargo serves as an interesting time capsule
Displays posed the ethical question
of leaving the site sacred as an underwater grave
or
salvaging artifacts to be sold
to help fund the undersea excavation
(thousands of items sold already)
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| SeaCity Museum, Southampton |
Controversy continues
as to if they should resurface the Titanic
or leave it alone
The exhibit was an excellent starting point
for our self-guided walking tour
for our self-guided walking tour
The sinking of the Titanic devastated the town of Southampton
There are 220 Titanic memorials throughout the city
549 persons from Southampton lost their lives on April 15, 1912
3/4 of the crew were from there
- Staggering -
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| Titanic Memorial Fountain |
A few more stops along the tour...
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| Platform Tavern (purple) |
If you were looking toward the water from the Platform Tavern in early April 1912,
you would have seen the Titanic dominating the view
This was a popular tavern for dockers and seaman,
and provided lodging for Titanic passengers and crew
In the 1997 blockbuster Titanic by James Cameron,
Jack (Leonardo Di Caprio) won his passage ticket in a game of poker in a tavern
which was filmed there
(Needing to see that film again)
(Needing to see that film again)
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| Dock Gate 4, Titanic Berth |
Beyond this brown building
the Titanic awaited her maiden voyage
the Titanic awaited her maiden voyage
Only authorized persons were allowed to proceed past this point on our visit,
so we'll have to use our imagination :)
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| Admiralty House/ previous Post Office |
Saving the most interesting tidbit for last,
the very important 'RMS' prefix to Titanic refers to Royal Mail Ship(!)
which was carrying 1,300 bags of mail with five postal workers on board
Wanting more?
Currently the Titanic exhibit plans to remain open until August 2013
Check out one of the online walking tours such as this one
I purr at the history that surrounds me in England
Just pick a time period and throw a dart at the map
Do I appreciate living here?
You bet I do
:)
all photos by me
unless otherwise indicated
12 comments:
What an interesting post - I would definitely enjoy this fascinating exhibition! The fact that it's an insight into Edwardian times as well makes it even more interesting. So good to hear that you are enjoying living in England. Being English, sometimes I feel I take it for granted!
http://missbbobochic.blogspot.co.uk/
it is interesting to think about. it would probably be best left alone, however, the scavengers and treasure hunters would pillage it then. at least with organized exhibits, the relics are displayed for people to understand the history a bit more. still feels almost like an invasion, however.
Thanks for sharing, you are certainly making the most of your time in the UK. :)
Hi Laura,
I love the Titanic history; it's all so fascinating and poignant. I did a self-guided walking exhibit in a museum in Raleigh, NC, along with my son and MIL about 10 years ago. It really was a fascinating experience. I can only imagine how meaningful it must have been to tour this exhibit in Southampton. I didn't realize the town itself represented such a large amount of the lives lost; in 1912, 550 would have been a huge loss. So sad.
I'm such a history nut, I'd be doing just what you're doing and cramming in as much of the history there as possible. Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful weekend. :)
Denise at Forest Manor
Hi Laura,
My daughters boyfriend has visited here and told me all about it. It was lovely to see your pictures and hear your experiences. The walking tour looks good too. I didn't realise until this year what a huge loss the city of Southampton suffered from the sinking of the Titantic such a tragedy.
Sarah x
It was great to read this post as it compliments a visit I have just made to the Titantic Exhibition in Belfast. The exhibition is very big and in fact the building and exhibition took as long to construct as building the ship i.e. three years. I only returned home last night but will do a post when I have sorted myself out.
Hi Laura
A very interesting post..it's got me needing to see Titanic with Leanordo once again! thanks for sharing:-)
Fiona x
I once went on the tour here in Atlanta, but I am sure it is much better to see it in England.
I saw something about this a few months back on the T.V look great.
I think we Brits are so used to being in the middle of our country's past that we forget to be in awe sometimes. My little village in the Welsh borders was important for brick making in Roman times - the bricks underpin most of Chester - has an ancient bridge that was the site of a significant English Civil War battle, and HG Wells taught at the school here. And that's just a few choice snippets. I must remember to see my world with other's eyes sometimes!
Hi Laura,
I'm always fascinated by the Titanic story.
This must have been a really interesting tour.
Hope you have a lovely day,
Liz x
Must have been amazing!
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