HYTHE

 Hythe is a small coastal market town on the edge of Romney Marsh, in the District of Shepway (derived from Sheep Way) on the south coast of Kent. The word Hythe or Hithe is an Old English word meaning Haven or Landing Place.

The town has Medieval and Georgian buildings, as well as a Saxon/Norman church on the hill and a Victorian seafront promenade. The church of St. Leonard is particularly interesting for the large ossuary in its' crypt. The Town Hall, a former Guildhall, was built in 1794, its fireplace designed by the Adam Brothers.

Hythe's market once took place in Market Square (now Red Lion Square)

As an important Cinque Port Hythe once possessed a bustling harbour which, over the past three hundred years, has now disappeared due to silting. Hythe was once the central Cinque Port, between Hastings and New Romney to the west and Dover and Sandwich to the east.

The most famous episode of Hythe's role in defending the realm came in 1293 when a French invasion force of 200 men was met by a force of townsmen and so badly defeated that the French fleet took sail and left. 

In 1348 the black death afflicted Hythe, and in 1400 the plague further reduced the population.

Hythe is also the birthplace of Mackeson Stout. The Fremlin brewery was once the largest employer in the town. The malt house still exists and now hosts an indoor market of antiques and collectibles.

The Royal Military Canal, known locally as 'Pitt's Ditch' runs parallel to the High Street, and has been turned into a very fine walkway and attraction. It was begun in 1804, at the height of the Napoleonic Wars, and runs 28 miles from Seabrook, near Hythe, to Hastings along the old line of the cliffs bordering Romney Marsh.

The 30 feet wide canal is now bordered by shady trees and a pleasant footpath runs along beside the waterway. 

There are two statue groups surrounding information boards along this walk. One, by the bridge leading to Lady Walk, depicts two 'navvies' digging the canal, the other, a little further along, shows two soldiers of the Napoleonic era, who would have been tasked with defending the coast along the canal.