The Wool House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Wool House |
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| Type | Warehouse |
| Location | Bugle Street, Southampton |
| OS grid reference | SU4186211222 |
| Area | Hampshire |
| Built | Late 14th Century |
| Owner | Southampton City Council |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Official name: The Wool House | |
| Designated | 14 July 1953 |
| Reference no. | 1092060 |
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The Wool House is a very old building in Southampton, England. It was built a long time ago, in the late 1300s. Its first job was to store wool, which was a huge business back then. Over the years, this building has been used for many different things. It even served as a prison and a museum! Today, it's a special building protected as a Grade I listed site.
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The Wool House: A Historic Building
The Wool House was built in the late 14th century. Its main purpose was to store wool. This wool was then shipped from Southampton to places like Italy. The wool trade was very important for Southampton's success during the Middle Ages.
From Wool Storage to Prison
In the early 1800s, during the Napoleonic Wars, the building had a new role. It was used as a prison for French soldiers captured in battle. You can still see some of their names carved into the roof beams! This shows how long the building has been standing and how many different lives it has seen.
A special plaque on the wall of The Wool House tells part of its story:
This building was put up in the 14th century to store wool. The wool was then sent to other countries in large ships. The wool trade was key to Southampton's wealth a long time ago. During the wars with Napoleon, The Wool House held French prisoners. Some of their names are carved on the roof beams. The city council fixed up this building, and it opened as a Maritime Museum in June 1966.
An Inventor's Workshop
In the early 1900s, a company called The Moonbeam Engineering Company Limited used the building. They built motorboats and sold parts for ships. An inventor named Edwin Moon worked there. He used a small part of the workshop to build his own airplane. He flew this plane in 1910 from fields that later became Southampton International Airport.
Home to a Maritime Museum
From 1966 to 2012, The Wool House was home to the Southampton Maritime Museum. This museum showed the history of ships and the sea in Southampton and the Solent area. It especially focused on the city's links to famous ships like the RMS Titanic. The museum's goal was to collect and share stories about Southampton's history and its people. In 2012, the museum moved to a new location called SeaCity Museum.
A New Chapter: Brewery and Pub
After the museum moved out, The Wool House found a new purpose. In June 2013, a group called Element Arts used the space. They turned it into a temporary art gallery and community center. They held art shows, music events, dance performances, and workshops for everyone.
Later, in 2014, plans were approved to change the building again. The Dancing Man Brewery decided to turn it into a microbrewery and pub. The Wool House reopened on February 27, 2015, as a place where people could enjoy craft beer and food. It's amazing how this old building keeps finding new ways to be part of the community!
