God's House Tower

Visit Stories Behind the Stones exhibition where each floor of the Tower takes you on a journey through time. Discover centuries of history retold with immersive installations, fascinating displays and stunning rooftop views across Southampton Water.

In the Main Gallery, discover While We Slumber by Kitt (AKA Lady Kitt), an exhibition commissioned by ‘a space’ arts for God’s House Tower. The exhibition begins with a simple question: what do we really share when we sleep in close proximity? Drawing on the familiar rituals of sleepovers – midnight feasts, whispered conversations, star-gazing, makeshift forts and sleeping bag stair toboggans – Kitt explores how social sleeping can deepen emotional connection and reshape our understanding of care, intimacy and belonging.

Central to Kitt’s research is the idea of ‘emotional heritage’: the way feelings accumulate within buildings, and how they are shaped, shared, and passed on through the communities who inhabit them. At God’s House Tower, this inheritance is layered and complex. Through archival and site-based research, Kitt traces a history of communal slumber within the building – from incarceration in the 1700s and 1800s, to more recent events such as artist residencies and a 24 hour ukulele jam. While We Slumber invites audiences to consider (and experience) how social sleeping might alter our relationship to shared spaces and to one another.

Timings

Friday 11 September:

10:00 - 17:00

Saturday 12 September:

10:00 - 17:00

Sunday 13 September:

10:00 - 16:00

Monday 14 September:

09:00 - 16:00

Thursday 17 September:

10:00 - 16:00

Friday 18 September:

10:00 - 17:00

Saturday 19 September:

10:00 - 17:00

Sunday 20 September:

10:00 - 16:00

Location & directions

God's House Tower, Town Quay Road, Southampton, Hampshire, SO14 2NY

Directions:

God’s House Tower is only a short walk away from the hustle and bustle of the High Street. GHT is located in the heart of Southampton’s Old Town, just a short distance from the historic Oxford Street and opposite Town Quay Getting to God’s House Tower: › 15 mins from West Quay › 20 mins from Southampton Central Station › 10 mins from Red Funnel Ferry › Follow the signs to Old Town, we’re just before Queen’s Park Nearby Car Parks: › Gloucester Square › Town Quay Car Park 2 › Mercure Southampton Centre Dolphin Hotel

Contact on day:

Hannah Preston & Sam Goodenough

Telephone number:

+447733092291

Booking information

Pre-booking requirement:

Pre-booking not required

Accessibility details

Do you have any access requirements? We are happy to discuss individual access needs wherever possible. Please email [email protected]. Quiet Hours: Thursdays, 10am - 12pm, with increased lighting, reduced gallery lighting and lower sound levels. The library is also available as a quiet space with dimmed lighting, seating, quiet music and water. As a Grade I listed building, some areas and facilities are inaccessible due to its medieval structure and preservation needs. We’re committed to continually improving accessibility and making GHT as welcoming and enjoyable as possible.

Additional information

God’s House Tower has stood in Southampton for over 800 years. Built as a medieval defensive gateway, it later became a prison, mortuary, warehouse and archaeology museum. Following a major restoration, it reopened in 2019 as an arts and heritage venue, with centuries of stories held within its historic walls.

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