The Duchess of York has called for the ice rink in Southampton to be brought back after reflecting on childhood memories of visiting.

Many older Southampton and Hampshire residents have joyful memories of the old ice rink that stood in Banister Road until it was closed in 1988.

Destroyed during the blitz and reopened in 1952, the ice rink was the home of Southampton’s ice hockey team, the Vikings.

READ MORE: Memories of Southampton's old ice rink

Growing up in a Hampshire town near Basingstoke, Sara Ferguson, the Duchess of York, used to visit as a child.

Now, she is calling for it to be rebuilt for younger generations to enjoy.

Speaking to the Echo, the Duchess said: “I’m from Dummer in Hampshire and we would often travel down to Southampton because it had some great local attractions.

“When I was a child, we would come down as a family to the ice rink and cinema because the closest cinema in Basingstoke would not always have the latest films on.

“We would make the drive down to Southampton and I used to love going on the ice rink.”

The Duchess recalled one childhood memory from when she was just 12 and skating on the Banister Road ice rink.

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She said: “Well at just the age of 12, I thought I was a professional skater – which I was absolutely not at all.

“There was an hour or so slot during the day where the professional skaters would come out and show people how to skate.  

“Thinking I was so good, I got on to the rink and joined them.

“I was very shocked when a worker got onto the Tannoy and said: please could the red head leave the ice.

“Of course, I got in the way of the wonderful professional skaters – thinking I was good enough to join them.

“I loved the Southampton ice rink and thought it was a terrible shame when I found out it had disappeared.”

The Duchess of York was in Ocean Village on Saturday to welcome the yacht Maiden back from its final global race.

Named by the Duchess in 1988, when she was made its 'Godmother', the boat made history with the first ever all-female crew to sail across the world in the 1989 to 1990 Whitbread Round the World Race.