Festival with free entry to the 'While We Slumber' exhibition and family trails around God's House Tower.
God's House Tower is taking part in Heritage Open Days from Friday 11 September, with free admission across the board. The main draw is While We Slumber, an exhibition in the Main Gallery by Kitt (AKA Lady Kitt), commissioned by 'a space' arts. It's built around the idea of 'emotional heritage' — the notion that feelings accumulate inside a building over time — and traces a history of communal slumber under the tower's roof. That spans a wide range: incarceration in the 1700s and 1800s, artist residencies, and even a 24-hour ukulele jam.
If you've never spent much time inside, the building itself is a good part of the experience. It's one of Southampton's most extraordinary landmarks, with more than 800 years of history. First built in 1189 as a gateway to protect the town from sea raids, it evolved from a medieval stronghold into an 18th-century prison, God's House Gaol, then a Victorian warehouse, and later the town's archaeology museum, before an ambitious restoration turned it into the arts and heritage venue it is today. It's Grade I listed and has witnessed some dramatic moments, like the French raid of 1338 and the harsh conditions of the gaol.
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Entry is free, and there's an on-site café for coffee, tea and baked goods if you fancy a break. The tower is on Town Quay Road, SO14 2NY. It's open across two weekends: Friday 11 and Saturday 12 September from 10:00 to 17:00, and Sunday 13 from 10:00 to 16:00; then Monday 14 from 09:00 to 16:00, Thursday 17 from 10:00 to 16:00, Friday 18 and Saturday 19 from 10:00 to 17:00, and Sunday 20 from 10:00 to 16:00.
