Franciscan Friary, Southampton facts for kids
The Franciscan Friary in Southampton was like a home for a group of religious men called friars. It was built around the year 1233. This friary was located inside the city walls, near a famous old building called God's House Tower. One really cool thing about this friary was its amazing water system. It brought fresh water not just to the friars, but also to other people living in Southampton!
The friary closed down in 1538. Most of its old buildings disappeared by the 1940s. Today, a building called Friary House stands where it used to be. But guess what? You can still find parts of their old water system around Southampton!
The Friars' Water System
The friars first built their water supply system for themselves. In 1290, a man named Nicholas de Barbeflet gave them permission to use springs on his land in Shirley, Southampton. This area was to the north-west of the old town.
The friars then built a system of water pipes in 1304. These pipes carried water all the way to their friary. The water had to travel about 1.7 kilometers (about 1 mile) from the springs to the friary inside the town walls! There were also other springs near The Polygon, Southampton that supplied water, but you can't see any traces of those today.
In 1310, the friars decided to share their water supply with everyone in Southampton. Later, in 1420, the friars found it hard to keep the water system working well. So, they gave ownership of the system to the mayor and the people of Southampton. The town kept using this water system for a long time. Eventually, new wells were dug, and the old system was no longer needed.
Where You Can Still See It
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Even though it's not used anymore, you can still see parts of the old water system today. These parts are mostly outside the old town walls.
At the spot where the springs were in Shirley, you can find a stone building called Conduit Head. This building has a small locked gate and underground rooms. These rooms collected fresh water from the springs. It's a bit hidden behind new houses, but you can still get to it from a path near the Sandhurst Road allotments.
Another visible part of the system is Conduit House on Commercial Road. This stone building is still there, but exactly what it was used for isn't fully known.
