The earliest accounts of Southampton are vague and uncertain. On the opposite bank of the Itchen, at Bitterne, was the Roman station of Clausentum, but Southampton itself seems to have been originally a settlement of the West Saxons. In the reign of William the Conqueror, Southampton, owing to its situation, became the principal port of embarkation for Normandy. In 1295 it first returned representatives to Parliament, and in 1345 was strongly fortified, and able to contribute twenty-one ships to the Royal Navy, Portsmouth only supplying five. Many expeditions for Normandy embarked here during the reigns of the Plantagenets, and the men who fought and won at Crecy and Agincourt must have passed, on the way to their ships, under the old West Gate, which still remains much as it was in those stirring times. The town is full of interesting relics of every description, one of the most remarkable being the old wall, of which a considerable portion remains; that known as The Arcades, built in a series of arches, being specially noticeable. Close by, in Blue Anchor Lane, is a Norman house, reputed to be King John's palace, and claiming, with several others, to be the oldest house in England. The town was formerly entered by several gates, two of which, Westgate and Bargate, are still in a good state of preservation. The Bargate stands in the centre of the High Street, and is an excellent example of mediaeval fortification. At the head of Blue Anchor Lane is the remarkably picturesque and substantial Tudor house, once the residence of Henry VIII. and Anne Boleyn, and nearly opposite rises the tall tower of St. Michael's, the oldest church in Southampton. The building is open all day (the keys being obtainable on inquiry), and contains a remarkable carved black marble font, reputed to be of Byzantine origin, and a fine eagle lectern of the fifteenth century. [Illustration: _Photochrom Co., Ltd._ THE BARGATE IN THE HIGH STREET OF SOUTHAMPTON.] HELMINGHAM HALL =How to get there.=--Great Eastern Railway. Liverpool Street. =Nearest Station.=--Woodbridge (10 miles). =Distance from London.=--79 miles. =Average Time.=--Varies between 2 to 2-1/2 hours. Quickest train 1 hour 56 minutes. 1st 2nd 3rd =Fares.=--Single 14s. 9d. ... 6s. 8d. Return 22s. 2d. ... 13s. 4d. =Accommodation Obtainable.=--"The Bull Hotel," etc., at Woodbridge.