Hawthorns Urban Wildlife Centre

The centre is situated on the south east corner of Southampton Common and provides information about Southampton’s abundant wildlife and how we manage the City’s open spaces to protect and increase biodiversity. The Centre has purpose built interactive displays that help you discover more about Southampton Common and the creatures and plants that live there.

There is a large interactive map that shows all the different types of habitat on The Common and a touch screen display showing how the Common is managed. Outside we have a large wildlife garden that is divided into habitats similar to those that you will find on The Common and is designed and managed to attract wildlife. Click on the 'Bing' map to find us.

The Hawthorns Cafe is open every day from 9am until 6pm.

The cafe menu and forthcoming cafe events can be found on our cafe page

The Hawthorns Activity Room is usually open Monday - Friday 10am - 4pm, when not in use by a school or other group and if staff are available

Following recent changes, and in order to protect the delicate habitats and wildlife that live in the grounds, we are trying out a new system with the grounds being open at certain times.

The Hawthorns Grounds are usually open Monday - Friday 11am - 3pm, although this is dependant on staffing levels and may change at short notice. The grounds are now open most Sunday afternoons from noon until 4pm.

We hope to add to these times in the future through the use of volunteers.