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There's a snippet of local trivia on all our products

We wanted more than just locally-made products. We wanted to tell local stories, so when you buy something as a gift, it’s meaningful as well as local. Our stories may be trivial or serious, they’re all about giving you a reason to smile and something quirky to talk about. Here are some examples of our Trivia Tags:

  • ”A Southampton pub is the official consulate of the Kingdom of Redonda, a remote Caribbean island”
  • ”Wassailing is a pagan tradition where bread or cake dipped in cider is hung on trees to promote a great harvest.  Robins are traditionally seen as good spirits: popular belief is that it toast in trees attracts these joyful birds.
  • 618 South African men died in February 1917 when the SS Mendi sank off the coast of the Isle of Wight. Today, the Mendi Award is South Africa’s highest award for courage yet most in the UK have never heard of this disaster

DID YOU KNOW?

Spitfire
RJ Mitchell, designer of the famous Spitfire aircraft, wanted it to be called the Shrew or the Scarab. Instead, it was named after the daughter of Mitchell's boss, whose fiery character had earned her the name 'spit fire'.
Aquila Airways
Aquila Airways was founded in Southampton in 1948, becoming a successful airline which operated 19 flying boats and completed its longest flight to the Falkland Islands in 1952. Famous passengers include Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher
Fish Fingers
Southampton played a major role in the success of fish fingers. In 1955, Clarence Birdseye tested herring sticks and cod sticks on shoppers in Southampton and Wales. The Southampton customers loved the cod sticks, which became known as fish fingers and rolled out across the country.
Warrior the War Horse
Warrior was a brave War Horse, wounded in France during WW1. Later gifted to the city of Southampton, he helped the police force. He died in 1935 aged 26 and his hoof was preserved, used as an inkwell by the chief constable. His grave can be found on the edge of Southampton golf course
The Dell
In February 1941 the Saints played a 'home' game at Fratton Park against Brentford. Their home stadium The Dell had been damaged by a German bomb leaving an 18-foot crater in the penalty area. In 1950 The Dell became the first ground in England with permanent floodlighting
Fanny Adams
In 1867 young Fanny Adams was brutally murdered by a solicitor's clerk in Alton, Hampshire. Soon after, new rations of tinned mutton were introduced for British seamen who were unimpressed by it. They suggested it might be the butchered remains of Fanny Adams. The expression "sweet Fanny Adams", or "sweet FA", has come through British naval slang to mean "nothing at all".
A Royal Charter
In 1952, the University of Southampton was the first to be granted a Royal Charter by Queen Elizabeth II. This was recognition of its university status 90 years after the Hartley Institute was opened with £100,00 donated by Henry Hartley
Castle Vault
Castle Vault was built in Southampton c.1180 when the King of England invented a new tax on wine called the 'King's Prise'. Every ship entering the port had to give 1 cask in every 10 to the King: thanks to its constant cool temperature, Castle Vault was ideal for storage.
Mysterious Inventor
In the 1880s Southampton-born engineer William Cantello ran a pub on Bargate Street, below which gunfire could be heard. Credited with the invention of the rapid-firing gun, he mysteriously vanished. It is thought he and Maxim Harim, celebrated inventor of the Maxim gun, are in fact the same person
Coldplay Drummer
Coldplay drummer Will Champion was born in Southampton in 1978 to university professors. He performed in a band called Fat Hamster before joining Coldplay, first as rhythm guitarist before he took on the role of drummer. Chris Martin refers to him as 'a human jukebox'
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What our customers say ABOUT OUR TAGS

Margaret Hopkins

The trivia tags were a lovely touch. My husband Fon, an avid history buff, learnt a couple of new facts which delighted him as much as the Mayflower and Spitfire products he received for his birthday.

Paul Brookes

I'm a huge fan of the iconic Spitfire and really appreciated the Spitfire trivia on the tag which came with with the Spitfire paperweight.

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