What a difference a decade makes!

In the grand scheme of things, ten years is a short time - a blink of an eye - yet these pictures show that much can change in that period.

The changing face of Southampton city centre has been rapid and relentless; from the restaurants and cinema at Westquay through to the almost unrecognisable Queensway.

As we each age along with the city, it’s often difficult to remember the shifts, but when compared side by side, these images remind us of the changing world around us.

The older pictures – all positioned to the left of modern ones – demonstrate just how the annals of time have altered our surroundings. They were all taken roughly a decade ago.

Given another 10, 20, 30 years, who knows what further changes we’ll see!

 

Cumberland Place

This building on Cumberland place – along with much of the road – has undergone major redevelopment in recent years.

The office block, situated on the corner with Grosvenor Square, sat empty for years before eventually being torn down.

Three smaller buildings, located between the office block and Paris Randal on Bedford Place, were razed to the ground at the same time.

Guildhall Square

Guildhall Square is an area instantly recognisable but one that’s gone through a variety of changes over the years.

Going back to the early 1960s, the square contained five buildings with businesses including clothes store Van Allen and Maryon.

But in the last ten years or so the area has been further pedestrianised and the old C&A building – seen in the left background – has been replaced.

SeaCity Museum

The west wing of the Civic Centre has undergone plenty of changes over the years.

It was once occupied by the law courts and by Southampton Police.

The Sea City museum was opened 10 years ago and has become an iconic structure.

Its modernistic liner-inspired profile is symbolic of the city’s rich maritime heritage.

Mayflower Plaza

This boarded-up section of land near Commercial Road – known as the Mayflower Plaza site – was once occupied by shops and restaurants including popular Italian eatery La Margherita.

The V-shaped site – bounded by Havelock Road, Commercial Road and West Park Road – stood empty for many years before being demolished in 2003.

Developers in partnership with the University of Southampton built a student village on the premises which includes a gym, a small supermarket, 400 cycle racks and basement parking.

Students began moving into the village in 2014, despite a major fire hampering progress earlier that year.

Tyrrell and Green

Tyrell and Green began life as a drapers in 1898 and was an instant hit with Southampton shoppers.

The shop was almost entirely destroyed by enemy bombing during the Second World War and the store and staff transferred to Winchester.

In 1956 a new building, on the same Above Bar site, was officially opened.

The shop closed in 2000 when John Lewis opened in the Westquay shopping centre.

The building remained derelict for the best part of a decade befordrapere the area was transformed with new shops, a theatre and a pedestrianised area.

Queensway

Many of us will remember the building on the corner here as Safeway.

For a short time it became a music store before turning into a charity shop.

The building, along with the others along the parade, has been demolished and building work continues.

The face of Queensway has changed dramatically and is likely to continue changing for a while.

Westquay

Westquay shopping centre changed the look of Southampton when it was being constructed and when it opened in 2000.

When the £85m expansion opened in stages in 2016 and 2017, it changed things further.

With numerous restaurants, a cinema, bowling and more – the impressive looking building offers contrast to the old town walls opposite.

Bargate Quarter

The area around the Bargate has changed massively over the years.

The Bargate was once attached to Southampton’s old walls and contained the law courts as well as the police station.

A parade of shops, which once included Levis, Currys and Maplins, has been demolished in recent years after sitting empty for a long period.

The new Bargate Quarter promises to show off the parts of the old walls that remain.