This month, members of Brockenhurst WI and a few spouses embarked on a walking tour of Hythe which was organised by Issy. We were relieved that the earlier squall had abated as we started our tour. On our tour, we learnt some great facts and information about Hythe.

Our first port of call was at the Daymark.

Our guide Nigel, from See Southampton, told us that the name Hythe means landing-place or haven. The first recorded use of the name Hythe was in 1293.

Hythe has a history of being a marine town and the regular crossing of Hythe Ferry  was first identified on Saxton’s Map of Hampshire from 1575.

In 1588 it is recorded that Hythe boatmen transported crew and provisions across Southampton Water for the ship the Angel, which was Southampton’s contribution to the English Fleet that went on to defeat the Spanish Armada.

During the reign of King James I the following fares for the ferry were recorded : Horse and rider 3d; man 1d; market people 1/2d; cow 3d; for an ox 6d; and for 20 sheep 6d.

1830 saw the first use of a steamer and the paddle steamer ‘The Emerald’ was used on ferry crossings. There is a road called ‘Emerald Crescent’ in Hythe to commemorate this paddle steamer.

Hythe Pier opened on1st January 1881.

The Electric Pier Railway along Hythe Pier opened in 1922

In 1927 the British Powerboat Company was established in Hythe by Hubert Scott-Paine (who has a road named after him).

We walked passed were Sir Christopher Cockerell and his team worked on the early development and testing of the Hovercraft. Sir Christopher Cockerell lived and died in Hythe.

We saw the home of T.E.Lawrence, the famed British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat and writer who lived in Hythe as a child and returned to Hythe between 1931-1932 and lived in Myrtle Cottage in Shore Road.

Nigel told us that in 2022 the English Coast Path through Hythe was opened and given these smart signs.

We then headed to Hythe’s historic Pier, one of the ten longest piers in the British Isles, and with the World’s Oldest Pier Train (official Guinness World Record).

We took the train to the end of the pier and then walked back, reading the information signs on the pier (whilst the weather took a turn for the worse!)

We took sanctuary in BB’s cafe where we warmed ourselves up with a cuppa and enjoyed a piece of cake.

Thanks got to Issy for organising the tour, Nigel for the informative and enjoyable tour (and for providing facts and figures for this report) and Christine K for the photos.