God's House Tower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids God's House Tower |
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God's House tower looking west from The Platform
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| General information | |
| Type | Gateway |
| Architectural style | Medieval |
| Location | Winkle Street/Town Quay, Southampton |
| Coordinates | 50°53′47″N 1°24′10″W / 50.8963°N 1.4029°W |
| Current tenants | a space arts |
| Construction started | circa 1300 |
| Completed | early 15th century |
| Owner | Southampton City Council |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 2/3 |
| References | |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Official name | God's House Gate |
| Designated | 14 July 1953 |
| Reference no. | 1340004 |
God's House Tower is a really old building in Southampton, England. It was built way back in the late 1200s! Imagine, it was once a big gate that let people into the old town. It stands right at the corner of the old town walls, near the water. For a long time, it helped protect the town.
Over the years, it's been many things: a prison, a museum, and now it's a cool place for art and history. It's so important that it's a Grade I listed building and a scheduled ancient monument, which means it's protected because of its history.
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History of God's House Tower
The very first gatehouse here was quite simple. It was built in the late 1200s and was called the Saltmarsh Gate. This was because it led out to marshy lands outside the town.
It was also close to a place called God's House Hospital, which was founded in 1168 to help travelers. Because of this, the gateway soon became known as the God's House gateway.
Protecting Southampton's Walls
In 1338, French raiders attacked Southampton. After this, the town's defenses were made much stronger, and the gateway was reinforced.
The tower got even bigger in 1417. A two-story gallery and a three-story tower were added to the east side of the gateway. This was one of the first forts built especially to hold cannons! It had eight places for cannons and firing spots on the roof. This new part helped the town's gunner protect the gates that controlled seawater flowing into a special moat. This moat powered a water mill under the tower. The town gunner also made and stored gunpowder and cannonballs in the tower's gallery.
From Defense to Prison
By the early 1600s, the tower wasn't needed for defense anymore, so it started to fall apart. In 1707, part of it was even used as a house of correction, a place for people who had committed minor offenses.
From 1786, it became the town's main prison, or "gaol." At this time, people called it the "Lambcote Tower." In 1855, a new prison opened in another part of town, and the tower's prison closed down.
The building was empty for a while until 1876. Then, the Southampton Harbour Board used it for storage. However, the ground floor of the gatehouse was kept as a mortuary, a place to keep bodies before burial. Around this time, the buildings were repaired and cleaned up.
God's House Tower as a Museum
In 1957, people wanted to turn the building into a museum. Four years later, in 1961, the Museum of Archaeology opened its doors to the public. It stayed open for many years, telling the story of Southampton's past. The museum closed in September 2011.
Statue of Prince Albert
In 1877, a man named Sir Frederick Perkins, who was a Member of Parliament for Southampton, gave the town a statue of Prince Albert. This statue was made of terracotta and was placed at the eastern end of the building.
Sir Frederick had bought the statue in 1869. It was first at a hospital, but when that closed, he gave it to Southampton. The statue was designed by William Theed.
In 1912, the statue was in bad shape. To avoid upsetting Kaiser William II, who was Prince Albert's grandson and visiting the town, the statue was taken down and stored away. Sadly, during the First World War, the statue was destroyed by soldiers who found it in the town's storage yard.
Museum of Archaeology Exhibits
From 1961 until September 2011, God's House Tower was home to the city's Museum of Archaeology. The museum had three main areas that showed what life was like in Southampton during Roman, Saxon, and Medieval times. You could see ancient stone tools found in the area, some dating back to the Stone Age!
When the museum closed in 2011, all its amazing exhibits were moved to the new SeaCity Museum, which opened in April 2012. The city council then offered the tower for rent, hoping it could be used as offices or an art gallery. Today, the old artifacts from God's House Tower are displayed in the "Gateway to the World" exhibition at the SeaCity Museum.
God's House Tower Today: Arts and Heritage Venue
In 2019, God's House Tower reopened with a new purpose! It is now an exciting arts and heritage venue. It has a permanent gallery that tells the story of the building itself. There are also two new galleries that show modern art and important artworks from collections along the South Coast. Visitors can even go up to the roof for amazing views and grab a treat from the Hoxton Bakery branch inside.
Salisbury and Southampton Canal Connection
There was once a canal called the Salisbury and Southampton Canal. It didn't last very long, only from 1802 to 1808. This canal connected to the River Test through a lock right next to God's House Tower.
The canal company said they built "an arch under the Debtors Gaol in Southampton" for barges. However, the actual lock was just north of the tower. From there, the canal followed a path outside the town walls, heading north.
Architecture of the Tower
Exterior Features
The gatehouse and tower are built from rough stone, called "rubble." They are two or three stories high. The arched gateway once had a double portcullis, which was a heavy metal gate that could be lowered to block the entrance. You can still see the grooves where these gates used to slide!
The windows have special shapes, described as "trefoil" (like a three-leaf clover) or "cinquefoil" (like a five-leaf clover). Under the main tower, you can still see the filled-in arches of the tidal moat and the gates that controlled the water flow on both the south and north sides.
In the upper part of the tower and the connecting gallery, there are many two-light windows and gunports shaped like keyholes. These gunports were opened up again in the late 1800s, when the window designs were also fixed. The roof of the tower you see today is modern.
Inside the Tower
Before it was restored in 1961, the gallery inside was just an empty shell. The floor and stairs had disappeared a long time ago. During the restoration, a modern staircase was built, and a new floor was added between the two main levels. You can still see parts of an old stairway built into the wall that once led to a walkway on the roof.
Nearby Historic Buildings
Right across from the gateway, on Winkle Street, you'll find the only other big part of the original God's House Hospital that still stands: the Church of St. Julien.
Just outside the gate is the Old Bowling Green. This is the oldest bowling green in the world, dating back to at least 1299!
Next to the gateway on the west side is Tower House. This building was built in the 1800s, replacing an older one. It's also a Grade II listed building, meaning it's historically important. In 2012, it was used by "a space arts" to provide studio space for new artists.
