Holy Rood Church

Background - Situated at the heart of Southampton’s busy shopping centre, Holy Rood Church has been a focal point for life in the city since the 13th century. During its long history it was used as a place of worship by crusaders, soldiers heading for Agincourt and Philip of Spain in 1554 on his way to marry Queen Mary in Winchester.

Despite being hit and devastated during severe bombing in 1940, Holy Rood has remained the official memorial for the Merchant Navy, as well as housing a memorial to the crew of the Titanic.

Thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, essential repairs and improvements to the site were undertaken to secure the future of the building.

Holyrood Church Audiopost solution - In relation to the Church, Southampton Council felt it was important that 'members of the public are able to appreciate the history of Southampton'. To this end we used historical recordings made by their Oral History Unit. These reminiscences give the listener a very real impression of what the now ruined church looked like before the war and what that area meant to those who loved it. Each audio clip was digitally edited and enhanced for optimum outdoor listening.