One of the most rewarding aspects of the Maritime Britain project is seeing how historical research can inspire creative practice and encourage new ways of thinking about our relationship with the sea.

Recently, John McAleer (co-investigator) and Craig Lambert were delighted to contribute to Welcome Voyage, a public engagement project led by Irish artist Rhona Byrne. Byrne has been commissioned to create a major new public artwork for the University's forthcoming building, working in partnership with UP Projects, the University of Southampton, the John Hansard Gallery, and Turner Sims. The project explores Southampton as a place of arrival, departure, and encounter, drawing on the city's long maritime history to inform a contemporary work of public art.

As part of the programme, John and I delivered an illustrated lecture exploring Southampton's rich maritime past. We discussed the city's role as one of England's principal ports, the importance of shipping and overseas trade, and the remarkable documentary records that survive from centuries of maritime activity. Particular attention was given to ships' logbooks and the ways in which they recorded voyages, weather, cargoes, people, and everyday life at sea.

Following the lecture, we took part in an extended discussion with participants before John led a guided walking tour through Southampton's historic waterfront. The tour connected the historical themes explored during the lecture with the city's surviving maritime landscape, allowing participants to experience the places where many of these stories unfolded.

One particularly innovative aspect of the project was Byrne's creation of a series of Welcome Voyage logbooks. Inspired by historic maritime logbooks, these beautifully designed publications invite participants to document their own journeys, observations, reflections, and encounters, transforming a historical documentary form into a contemporary tool for recording personal experience. The logbooks include pages for recording voyages, destinations, weather observations and reflections, encouraging visitors to become active participants in the project rather than passive observers.

The collaboration demonstrated how historical research can enrich artistic practice while making maritime history accessible to new audiences. By drawing upon archival sources such as logbooks, the project encouraged participants to think differently about Southampton's waterfront—not simply as a physical landscape, but as a place shaped by centuries of movement, trade, migration, and human experience.

For the Maritime Britain project, collaborations such as Welcome Voyage are an important reminder that maritime history extends beyond archives and museums. They create opportunities to share research with artists, local communities, and members of the public, demonstrating how historical scholarship can contribute to contemporary conversations about place, identity, and the sea.

We would like to thank Rhona Byrne, UP Projects, the John Hansard Gallery, Turner Sims, and everyone who participated in what was a fascinating and inspiring collaboration.