Sociability visits Southampton!
Isadora L'Esteve
Nov 10, 2022
At the start of last week, the Sociability team headed south for a day of mapping at the port city of Southampton. Famously a busy departure port for those heading to sunnier climes, the city has a lot more to offer than just shipping - here's our team member Isadora covering the mapping day with some recommendations to finish!
On the day…
Jennie and I arrived bright and early to Waterloo station at 8:30 am on Halloween for the hour-and-a-half-long train ride down south. Thankfully at that time in the morning, the train was nice and quiet and we even (just about!) managed to attend our normal Monday morning meeting in transit (until our signal gave up…). When we arrived at Southampton Central station we headed straight towards the Westquay Shopping Centre where we were planning to meet up with Asha, Danny, George, Jessikah and Kate at midday. With some time to spare, Jennie and I got straight down to business mapping a number of venues along Above Bar including Coffee #1 whose staff were really friendly and helpful! After meeting up with the crew at Pret Westquay (and mapping it, of course!) we headed back north up Above Bar towards Watts Park adding as many venues as we could find, before rounding off the day with a rejuvenating coffee, cake and ice cream catch up at Sprinkles Gelato. Much needed (and thankfully it meant we just missed the rain!).
OUR TOP VENUES OF THE DAY
We know that finding places that suit what we’re looking for AND are great finds are hard to come by, so here are some venues we liked the look of in Southampton City Centre!
If you’re after a coffee and a quiet place to work then you can’t go wrong with Coffee #1! Conveniently located just opposite Westquay on Above Bar, this cafe is something of a Tardis inside as it’s much bigger than it looks from the outside! Pathways in the cafe are generally wide, although the central path does narrow leading towards the back section and toilets, before opening out again which is something to take note of. At the back there is a reasonably sized accessible toilet and the space is calm and quiet, making it a calm and cosy environment for when you need to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the main street outside.
Find accessibility info here.
Sticking with the work and study-vibe, The Artisan cafe which is part of the University of Southampton in the Sir James Matthews Building in Guildhall Square is a great place to grab a bite and unwind after a few hours hitting the books (or when zoom fatigue strikes!) The side entrance doors are fully automatic and lead into a large seating area, with a ramp leading from here up to the fridges and service counter. There is a sizeable accessible bathroom (although do note it does require a key-code to be accessed) and facilities include both an emergency cord & assistance button located on opposite sides of the room, adding an additional layer of assurance in the event of an emergency.
Find accessibility info here.
It’s all well and good to know where to find a good coffee or a quiet place to take a break from work but sometimes what you really want to know is where you can go for a good drink and a boogie - don’t worry, we’ve got your back.
Revolucion de Cuba has two floors of live music, with a platform lift at the back connecting the ground and second floors to ensure that everyone is able to get to where they need to be! User, Asha also assures us that the accessible bathrooms at this space are some of the best she’s ever smelt! Whilst the venue is loud in the evenings, and is brightly coloured with lots of patterning we also wanted to note that during the daytime in mid-week the space is surprisingly quiet and calm, so could be a good choice outside of peak times for those looking for somewhere to chill out away from the crowds of the city centre.
Find accessibility info here.
MAPPING IN THE SOUTH
We’re super excited by the success of the Southampton Mapping Day, following from Brighton back in September, and keen to keep mapping momentum going in the South. If you’re interested in getting involved or have any suggestions of where to map next we’d love to hear from you!
And remember, Sociability is all about the community and getting you involved so we’d love to hear if you or anyone you know have had a go at creating your own mapping days, or if you’d be keen to get in touch with anyone else who has joined us on Mapping Days in the past - we’re a friendly bunch!
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