Hythe, Hampshire

Infobox UK place
country = England
official_name= Hythe
map_type= Southampton
latitude= 50.86905
longitude= -1.39883
civil_parish= Hythe and Dibden
shire_district= New Forest
shire_county= Hampshire
region= South East England
constituency_westminster= New Forest
post_town= SOUTHAMPTON
postcode_district = SO45
postcode_area= SO
dial_code= 023
website= [http://www.hytheanddibden.gov.uk Hythe and Dibden Parish Council]

Hythe is a village near Southampton, Hampshire, England. It has a small shopping area clustered around its High Street which includes a supermarket, a public library, several charity shops, and a number of small independent shops. The pier railway and ferry service across Southampton Water to Southampton operates at half-hourly intervals throughout the day, and is the oldest working pier train in the world.

Hythe's position makes it one of the best vantage points for viewing liners arriving at the port of Southampton, which attracts many ship-watchers to the area. Hythe also has a marina of relatively recent foundation, at which a large number of expensive yachts and boats are moored. A number of large and expensive houses are situated around the marina, overlooking the waterside. These developments have conferred upon Hythe a reputation for affluence, and indeed parts such as Dibden Purlieu are amongst the richest wards in the UK. (According to the Indices of Deprivation 2000 it is 247th richest out of 8414.)

The first recorded reference to Hythe dates from 1293, though the village was almost certainly established long before this date. Its waterside location and proximity to Southampton facilitated trade, shipbuilding, and other maritime activities, which along with agriculture formed the basis of the village's economy. Until 1913, Hythe was part of the parish of Fawley. It is now part of the parish of Hythe and Dibden.

In 1998 the population of Hythe was estimated at 20,000.

In November 2003, a dredger collided with Hythe Pier cutting it in half. Nobody was seriously injured, however, a few minutes before, the pier had been crowded, as people were heading home after a football match. The pier was reopened after repairs on 6 January 2004. The Dredger captain, Andrew Cameron Bartlett was drunk when the vessel collided with the pier. Having entered a guilty plea in court he was sentenced to eight months imprisonment for endangering life and causing serious damage to the pier.

Hythe is twinned with Mauves-sur-Loire, France.

Notable residents

Sir Christopher Cockerell, the inventor of the hovercraft, lived and died in Hythe.

T. E. Lawrence, Lawrence of Arabia, lived in the village from 1931 to 1932. He was then known as T. E. Shaw, and turned up in Hythe in 1931, seconded by the RAF to the British Power Boats factory in Shore Road. He lodged in Myrtle Cottage at the junction of St John Street and Shore Road and left in 1932.

William Scammell, a leading UK poet, critic and biographer of Keith Douglas, was born in Hythe in 1939. A commemorative plaque, provided by the Parish Council, can be seen on the house in Alexandra Road, where he was born and lived until 1953. He died in 2000, aged just 60.

David Ellery the author and ship historian is based at Hythe. [cite news|title=Special passengers wanted for voyage|url=http://archive.andoveradvertiser.co.uk/2001/2/8/78724.html|work=Andover Advertiser|date=2 February 2007|accessdate=2007-09-13 ]

References

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External links

*oscoor|SU424079_region:GB_scale:100000|Map sources for Hythe
* [http://www.hythe-hants.org.uk/Hythe-History/Hythe-History-Homepage.html Article on the history of Hythe]
* [http://www.newforest-online.co.uk/hythe-high-street.asp Hythe virtual High Street]
* [http://www.thenewforest.net New Forest Community Media] - A not-for-profit media site serving the National Park