Southampton: city of sea and culture
ALL IS quiet now, apart from the clang of boots on the metal ladders leading down into a nest of brass pipes and huge steel machinery. But it’s not hard to imagine the noise, the heat, the hiss of steam, the ring of the brass telegraph from the bridge signalling Full Ahead and the surge of power from the steam engines as SS Shieldhall heads on a new season of tours from Southampton Docks.
Everything about her is authentic, from the not-unpleasant background smell of diesel oil and the pride of the volunteers in their immaculate engine room to her berth in the heart of the commercial docks – a mountain of scrap metal on one side and foothills of shipping containers on the other.
is part of
