Every year for the past 5 years Hamwic Speakers has held an outdoor meeting around Southampton. With our normal venue Taunton’s College being closed for the school summer holiday, it’s an ideal excuse to get out of our comfort zone and take to the streets – literally. The City of Southampton is not short of historic sites or fine buildings and is connected to the broader world though the cruise ships and freight vessels which visit the docks every day.

All of this provides an inspiring backdrop for speeches which in previous years have ranged from the Saxon origins of the city, through to the departure of the Pilgrim Fathers sailing to America, or evocative readings from victorian novels in the shadow of the ancient city walls. Whether you are inclined to share your take on historic facts or present something more creative inspired by the surroundings, there have been some great speeches delivered in previous tours of the city and we are sure this year’s outdoor meeting will be just as good.

The 2018 outdoor meeting will take place on 22nd August, beginning at the historic Bargate and following a meandering route with stops on request, to end up at Town Quay and the Dancing Man Brewery, where we are of course more interested in the historic Medieval building rather than the beer now on offer within. We hope you will join us.