By Martin Brisland. This year’s Beating of the Bounds ceremony and Court Leet will take place on Tuesday 29th September. But what are these ancient ceremonies, which date back at least 800 years, all about? The custom of Beating the Bounds was revived in 1957 after a gap of...
Articles with the Tag city
Reader’s letter: Reform flag motion – sowing division in our society
By Southampton Green Councillor Misty Burgess. I welcome the withdrawal of Councillor Crook’s motion ‘Southampton City Council: Flags’, which would have limited the council to only fly the Union, St George’s, Southampton City and Hampshire Flags from the Civic Centre Building. To me and many others, this motion appears...
Protest as Southampton Reform Cllr wants to ban flags including Pride, Armed Forces Day and Windrush Day
By Sally Churchward. A Southampton Reform councillor is bringing a motion before the city council on Wednesday (15/7/26) that would ban the flying of a huge range of flags from the Civic Centre. If the motion, being brought by Councillor Philip Crook, were passed, the only flags that would...
Opinion: Will a new Prime Minister bring the change that people in Southampton voted for?
By Cllr. Matt Renyard, Southampton City Green Group Leader and Ward Councillor for Coxford. At the May 2026 local elections, the message was clear – the majority of you wanted change. You wanted leaders who would genuinely tackle the growing gap between your wages and the cost of living, the squeeze...
Southampton City Art Gallery Reopens with Fresh Energy and New Perspectives
Words and photos by Rachel Jones (HMP). There was a palpable sense of anticipation outside Southampton City Art Gallery on Saturday morning as the doors reopened following an extensive £2.23 million refurbishment (7/3/2026). Visitors queued eagerly along the steps of the Civic Centre, keen to see how the much-loved...
Opinion: New Southampton welcome signs are unwelcome!
By Mabel Wellman. The new Welcome To Southampton signs have recently been unveiled, replacing the previous signs which have remained the same for decades. This change has not been well received by many people in Southampton. The previous signs, which warmly exclaimed “Welcome to Southampton” with an image...