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ABOUT HYTHE
The Town spreads up the hillside in a pleasing jumble of little
streets, containing many interesting historic buildings. The picturesque Conservation Area of Hillside Street is
flanked by ancient stone walls which have a year round variety of lovely flowers growing between its cracks.
The
buildings are mostly Georgian and has an interesting mixture of styles with well kept original features and variety of architectural
styles, pretty gardens amongst the narrow historic streets .
At the foot of the hill is the old and narrow High
Street, containing many antique shops and a variety of good restaurants and pubs. It is the main shopping area and it's
history dates back many centuries.The King’s
Head in the High Street, was where Oliver Cromwell was proclaimed as Lord Protector in 1653 when the English monarchy
had been suspended after the Civil War.
St Leonard’s Church sits high up on the hillside overlooking the town and directly opposite
Hillside Manor. Built in 1080 on the site of a Saxon church it has an interesting stained glass window depicting Hythe's
role as a Cinque Port and defender of the coast. It is known as “The Church with the Bones” due to the ossuary
in the crypt, containing 2,000 human skulls, 8,000 thighbones, a few jawbones and various other gruesome relics. The exact
origin of the bones is unclear but a likely explanation is that they were dug up and stored in the Middle Ages when it was
customary to re-use burial plots
The
Town and immediate neighbourhood contain many first-class facilities for recreation. Golf, tennis, riding, bowls, squash,
boating, wind-surfing, fresh-water and sea angling, and bathing in the local indoor heated pools or the sea are all available.
Romney Marsh lies immediately west of the town, and may be explored either by car, bicycle, or using the World's Smallest
Public Railway.
Hythe is one of the termini of the famous Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Light Steam Railway, which
runs parallel to the coastline through Dymchurch and New Romney to Dungeness.
Hythe has
a long and interesting maritime and military history. It is one of the original Cinque Ports(pronounced sink) which during
Norman times were charged with providing ships and men to the King to help defend the Kent coastline from invasion. In return they were given tax privileges, the
other Cinque Ports were Hastings, Romney, Dover and Sandwich.
Most of the immediate area is residential, but a
few minutes stroll from Hillside Manor brings you to the Royal Military canal, built in the time of the Napoleonic wars for
the defense of England.
Hythe was seen as a vulnerable place for a possible invasion by Napoleon.who it seems had
set his sights on England. To counter this threat two large building projects started in 1805, the first being the building
of the Royal Military Canal running for 28 miles parallel to the coast and designed to be both a defence and a means of transporting
supplies. It was built in straight sections with a turn every 800 feet as this was the range of a cannon and therefore it
was easier to defend.The Royal Military Canal's
banks provide many delightful walks, as does the varied local countryside. Boats can be hired for taking a trip on the
canal.
At
the end of West Parade is Fisherman’s Beach which is where the local fishermen set out from and where fresh fish wholesalers process the catch before
delivering to local restaurants.
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