Mayflower 400 is a year long commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower from the UK to the New World, with the actual anniversary taking place in 2020. The Mayflower and her sister ship, The Speedwell, set sail from West Quay on 15 August 1620, carrying 102 passengers. Around 40 of these were the Puritan Separatists who have become known as America’s Founding Fathers. Documents that they created on board the ship went on to provide the foundations of the American constitution.
The Mayflower was an important world changing event which has had both positive and negative impact. The anniversary provides a moment to reflect upon this history and creates a platform to help us explore and shape a present and future informed by lessons of the past. Mayflower 400 is an opportunity to celebrate Southampton, a city and a community, built on journeys and migration. An opportunity to tell our city’s story in all its richness. We will celebrate all the people of the world who have made Southampton their home and those have found sanctuary here. We will work to ensure Southampton continues to be a welcoming city.
Partners across Southampton will deliver an innovative and inclusive programme that uses the anniversary as a means to creatively explore the City’s wider and longer history as a marine city and gateway to the world. It will invite us to look at who we were, who we are, how our city has grown and to re-think our cultural and maritime future. An exciting fusion of ideas, people, art, history, science, technology, food, faith and cultures.
For more information, go to www.mayflower400uk.org