Southampton City Council

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Southampton Common

Small mycouncil TV logoCome and learn about the wildlife on the common at The Hawthorns - video

Southampton Common

The Common is a much loved and well used green space and is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest, it is unique and requires specialist management to ensure that its status and biodiversity is maintained.

It's Green Flag status also covers the Old Cemetery and the Friends of Southampton Old Cemetery (FoSOC) hold many walks, talks and tasks where you can find out more about this historical site.

The Common is a great venue for events and the Hawthorns Wildlife Centre is open all year round to visitors. The Common is one of the UK’s most important wildlife sites, and internationally listed as a site of excellence… So caring for it is one of Southampton City Council’s most important jobs. Contact information at the bottom of the page.

Map of Southampton’s parks and green spaces


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The Paddling Pool on the Common

1. The Paddling Pool - is now managed by Active Nation

The Common is also home to the Paddling Pool facility, which is a free facility to enjoy over the summer months. From the 1 September 2010 management for the facility is now with Active nation. Information provided on this page is provided by Action Nation. Please follow the link at the bottom of this page to go directly to their web site.

Paddling Pool opening may be subject to change due to adverse weather conditions. For more details about the paddling pool, please contact The Quays Swimming & Diving Complex on 023 8072 0900.

Downloadable documents

Icon Name of file Size Download time
PDF document Southampton Common Management Plan 2010 2602 KB 10secs @ 2Mbps
PDF document Active Map 2009 5477 KB 22secs @ 2Mbps
Link to download Adobe Acrobat if required

Contact information

If you want to contact us regarding the content of this page please contact us at:

For any other council related enquiries please contact: