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The Old Town walk

Bargate to the Mayflower Memorial along some of the best-preserved medieval walls in England. 1.5 miles, one hour.

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Facts checked October 2026 against operator sources. Prices and times change, the booking page wins.

Southampton's Old Town is the walled medieval port that the Victorian docks grew around. The walls were built after a French raid in 1338 and survive along the Western Esplanade and Bugle Street with towers, gates and a wall-walk. This route is about 1.5 miles and takes an hour at a stroll, longer with Tudor House.

The medieval town walls on the Western Esplanade
The medieval town walls on the Western Esplanade

The route

  1. Bargate. The main gate of the walled town, built around 1180 and extended in the 13th and 14th centuries; one of the finest medieval town gates in the country. Start on the High Street side.
  2. High Street and the Dolphin. Jane Austen danced at the Dolphin Hotel while living in the city from 1806 to 1809; Thackeray wrote part of Pendennis here.
  3. St Michael's Square and Bugle Street. The oldest street pattern in the city. Tudor House and Garden is here (Mon-Thu 10-15, Sat-Sun 10-17, £10).
  4. West Gate. The gate through which the Mayflower and Speedwell passengers embarked in 1620, and the troops for Agincourt in 1415.
  5. Western Esplanade and the wall-walk. The longest surviving stretch, with Catchcold Tower (also called Prince Edward's Tower after the Black Prince, who sailed from here for Crecy in 1346) and the arcades.
  6. Mayflower Memorial. The 1913 column by the Royal Pier that marks the Pilgrims' departure.
  7. Town Quay. Finish at the water with the Red Funnel terminals and the Ocean Terminal across the dock.

Guided and self-guided

Licensed guides run Old Town and Titanic walks on cruise days, and there is a self-guided audio tour of the Titanic sites for a few pounds that works offline.

The Bargate, Southampton
The Bargate, Southampton

Practical notes

The wall-walk along the Western Esplanade has steps and uneven paving; the street-level route past the arcades is step-free. The walk is lit in the evening but Tudor House closes at 15:00 on weekdays. On cruise days the Bargate end is quiet before 11:00 and busy after, when ships have disembarked. Public toilets are at Westquay and Town Quay.

How long are Southampton's town walls?

Just over a mile of the medieval circuit survives, with the longest unbroken stretch along the Western Esplanade; the full circuit of the walled town was about 1.25 miles.

Where did the Mayflower leave from in Southampton?

From the West Quay below the West Gate in August 1620, with the Speedwell; the Mayflower Memorial on the Western Esplanade marks the departure.

Is the Old Town walk suitable for wheelchairs?

The street-level route is; the wall-walk itself has steps at the towers.

Walk it with a guide

Private Titanic walking tours from the Bargate, or the self-guided audio version to start whenever you like.

Titanic walking tour: GetYourGuideSelf-guided audio tour: WeGoTrip

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