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Eaton Lands lie between Hythe & Saltwood on the KentCoast and on the greensand series escarpment. A tract of land of approximately 40 acres, comprising mixed woodland, a former quarry, amenity grass area with goal posts and picnic benches, a wildflower area as well as three allotment sites. It is transected by Public Rights of Way and Permissive Paths. The land was given to the Town by the Deedes and it has been made into a charity for the purpose of general recreation.
The allotments are split into 3 sites, south, east and north. The north site was formed during July 2009 and provides 20 plots for local residents to grow their own vegetables. The other plots formed during World War 1.
Our aim, is to build a community (which appears to have been lost in recent times), where, through this website we can share ideas and tips and bring useful information from around the internet and of course our own experiments.
About Hythe
Hythe, in the District of Shepway, is one of the five original Cinque Ports (pronounced sink, as in Norman French) on the "Garden Coast" in South Kent.
It is on a broad bay of the English Channel, four miles west of the cross- channel port of Folkestone and 16 miles south west of Dover.
A wide promenade overlooks a long stretch of beach, and over the English channel to France. It is ideal for a summer picnic and safe bathing. From the sea-front the town is on level ground.
Most of the immediate area is residential, but a five-minute stroll along Stade Street brings you to the Royal Military canal. This was dug during the Napoleonic era (1804-15) as a defensive measure against possible French invasion. The Town spreads up the hillside in a pleasing jumble of little streets, containing many interesting historic buildings. At the foot of the hill is the old and narrow High Street! It is the main shopping area and it's history dates back many centuries. This can easily be seen by looking at the variety of architectural styles of neighbouring buildings.
Half way up the hill stands the dominating figure of the
11th century parish church
, with its famous crypt and ossuary (vaults containing the bones of early settlers).
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. The Royal Military Canal's banks provide many delightful walks, as does the varied local countryside.
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.
Older News
Hythe is mentioned in the Domesday Survey and for many centuries there was a close connection with successive kings and archbishops.
After the Norman Conquest, the name of 'Cinque Ports" was given to the ports of Hastings, Romney, Hythe, Dover and Sandwich in return for the obligation to provide ships and men for the monarch, to protect the south-east shores from invasion and provide cross-Channel passage for the sovereign and his retinue.
The oldest Cinque Port Charter was granted to Hythe as long ago as 1278, in the reign of Edward the First and is still held by Hythe Town Council with other charters from Richard the Second dated 1392 and Elizabeth the First dated 1575.
During the next few centuries, the Town continued as a south coast port, but in gradual decline. The harbour began to silt up very slowly, despite strenuous dredging efforts, and gradually become impossible to use. The threat of invasion arose again at the end of the 18th Century, this time from Napoleon. This threat led to the construction of the famous Martello Towers and the Royal Military Canal.
Many of the present road names in Hythe provide associations with this period. At this time the present Town Hall was built. The work being completed in 1794 removing the need for all town meetings to take place in the church. Until recent years the building was used as a Magistrates Court. The chamber itself, overlooking the High Street, contains not only paintings and other works relating to Hythe but a roll of Mayors and bailiffs of the Town dating from 1349
The Parish Church, originally a Norman structure, was expanded in about 1175 to provide a larger nave. T
he transepts were added in the 13th Century. The chancel was rebuilt to provide the ambulatory and a tower was added. In the 18th Century the south transept was rebuilt and in vaults below it are buried members of the family who financed the work. The ossuary, in the ambulatory, contains human bones; it is thought of 14th and 15th Century origins that may have been exhumed when new graves were dug. Hythe has many links with history.
See the remains of the Roman port of Portus Lemanis at Stutfall, the castles of Lympne and Saltwood and the ruins of St. Mary's Church at West Hythe. Using the path that runs from Lympne to the Royal Military Canal and from Lympne Castle, it is possible to see the ruins of the Roman port.
The Local History Room, adjacent to the Public Library, contains an interesting collection of historical items in a well-designed display, and is worthy of a visit.
The Town's medieval records of the 14th Century are said to be of international importance.
Sir Francis Pettit 1812-1874 invented the screw propeller in 1836. He lived at 31 High Street, Hythe. Lionel Lukin 1742-1834 invented the self-righting lifeboat in 1785.
He is buried in Hythe Parish Churchyard.
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