Antiques shop used by James Cameron to close after 50 years

Cobwebs has been in the heart of Southampton for more than five decades, selling ocean liner memorabilia to the masses.

Captain of the ship – and shop - Peter Boyd-Smith is retiring after spending more than five decades behind the counter.

The 78-year-old has rubbed shoulders with Robbie Coltrane, advised director James Cameron with the 1997 film Titanic, and even held items from a Spitfire and the Titanic in his hands.

However, sailing down the antiquarian path was not on his radar as a young man but was a career he fell into after he was made redundant in 1974.

Peter Boyd-Smith is retiring after running Cobwebs for 50 years (Image: Newsquest) “I loved coming to all the antique shops on Northam Road as a child to spend my pocket money”, he reminisced.

The road was a thriving hub of independent businesses, so when the opportunity to take over a shop and upstairs accommodation came up, he jumped at the chance.

Peter said: “To begin with I specialised in vintage items; antiques and collectables.

“Customers started asking about items from ships and it went from there.”

As he began specialising in ocean liners and maritime collectables, Peter’s shop and extensive knowledge became well known in Southampton and beyond.

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In those 50 years, he has had more than 100,000 items in the shop.

But one item is a stand-out for Peter.

Inside Cobwebs (Image: Newsquest) “I have had a few items from the Titanic, and one was a brass trivet made in 1911 by a junior engineer onboard the Titanic”, he said.

“He had given the trivet to his mother after making it from brass in the engine room of the ship.

“It is one of the most poignant items I have ever picked as the man went down with the ship in 1912.”

He added: "The most unusual item in the shop at present. I have a German produced bombing map of Southampton dated 1940.

"The oldest item in stock is a map of Hampshire by John Speed of the 1670s."

His extensive knowledge of ocean liners, including the Titanic, made him an advisor to director James Cameron ahead of the production of Titanic, starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Peter was also a governor at Solent University for six years, and in 2000 Cobwebs won the Best Collectable Shop in UK from the British Antiques and Collectors Award.

Although retirement is on the horizon, Peter is looking forward to seeing new and old faces visit the shop before he closes in August.

He said: “Thank you to everyone who has supported me.

“Regular customers have become friends over the years. It is the end of an era, but everything ends.”

Cobwebs is open Thursday and Friday from 10.30am to 2.30pm.