Mayflower 400 Southampton

Sarah Siddons Fan Club 

“Due to Covid The Sarah Siddons Theatre Company were unable to perform their new production about the Mayflower, however thanks to a grant from Southampton City Council the company have been able to re-imagine their play into a film made in documentary style featuring the stories of inhabitants of Southampton in 1620 and some of the passengers of the Mayflower as they prepare for their trans-Atlantic voyage.”

A Funny Thing Happened on the way to America

Recorded during lockdown while practicing social distancing the Sarah Siddons Fan Club tell some of the stories of the people who were in Southampton during those important two weeks while the Mayflower Pilgrims were in Southampton as they gathered supplies for their long journey across the Atlantic. All the characters in this play are real people, their stores are true, but dramatized to facilitate the telling of those stories.

Six Characters in Search of a History

The Sarah Siddons Fan Club are delighted to be working with the United Voices of Africa Association (TUVAA) to help tell some of the stories of Black history in Southampton over the past 500 years.

Behind the Scenes with the Sarah Siddons Fan Club

Following their ‘Funny Thing Happened on the Way to America’ film telling the true tales of some of the Mayflower Pilgrims who spent some time in Southampton before their long sea voyage, Sarah Siddons Fan Club thought it would be nice to explain a little more about the Fan Club, how they work, and how you can get involved!

The 400 year anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower and Speedwell from Southampton is a time for reflection and so Sarah Siddons Fan Club have pulled together a timeline to highlight some of the other major migrations that have impacted Southampton and form part of its history and heritage over the last two thousand years.

Beginning in AD43 when the Romans arrived in Britian creating a base in the Bitterne peninsula, we’ve pulled out 25 key dates that have shaped Southampton helping to create the multiculural city where over 150 languages are being used today.

Explore the timeline for yourself.

Sarah Siddons Fan Club have also created a special walking guide to share some of the places and characters which interacted with the Mayflower Pilgrims during their two week stop in Southampton as they gathered supplies in readiness for their long voyage across the Atlantic.

The circular walk will take approximately 90 minutes beginning and ending at God’s House Tower.

There are two versions:

A printable guide can be found here: Walking map printing version
A guide created for mobile devices can be found here: Walking map for mobile

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