Why visit Hythe
Townapedia lists 8 museums and landmarks, 13 parks and trails, 29 places to eat, 6 places to stay and 5 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Grand Theatre, Itchen Bridge, John Hansard Gallery and Medieval Merchant's House.
Weather in Hythe
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Hythe
Hythe () is a town in Hampshire, England. It is located by the shore of Southampton Water, previously connected to Southampton by ferry service. Hythe has a shopping area, a pier, and a marina for yachts.
From the Wikipedia article Hythe, Hampshire (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Hythe on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Photos of Hythe
Things to do5
Grand Theatre
Cinema and theater · 3.3 mi
Former theatre in Southampton, England
Mayflower Theatre
Cinema and theater · 3.4 mi
Theatre in Southampton, England, a former cinema
Southampton Guildhall
Cinema and theater · 3.3 mi
Performance venue in Southampton, England
Theatre Royal, Southampton
Cinema and theater · 2.7 mi
Former theatre in Hampshire, England (1803–1884)
Museums and landmarks8
Medieval Merchant's House
Museum · 2.7 mi
Grade I listed historic house museum in Southampton, United Kingdom
Solent Sky
Museum · 2.6 mi
Aviation museum in Southampton, Hampshire, United Kingdom
Southampton City Art Gallery
Museum · 3.4 mi
Art gallery in Southampton
Southampton Tudor House and Garden
Museum · 2.7 mi
Grade I listed historic house museum in Southampton, Hampshire, England, UK
Parks, trails and playgrounds13
Blechynden Terrace Park
Park · 3.3 mi
Park in Southampton, Hampshire, England
Mayfield Park
Park · 2.7 mi
Recreational area in the suburb of Woolston, Southampton, England, UK
Westwood Woodland Park
Park · 2.5 mi
Local Nature Reserve in Southampton in Hampshire
1 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes29
Tilley's
Bakery · 0.7 mi
6 The Marsh, Southampton
Mo-Fr 08:00-16:00; Sa 08:00-15:00
Black Wax Coffee and Records
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 0.7 mi
10 High Street, Southampton
The Thai Corner Restaurant
Restaurant · Thai · 0.7 mi
2 Pylewell Road, Southampton
17 more on the map.
History
The name Hythe means landing-place or haven. Hythe is recorded in a Parliamentary roll from 1293. The Hythe ferry ("Hitheferye") to Southampton is marked on a map by Christopher Saxton of 1575, and on a map by John Harrison in 1788. Hythe was part of the parish of Fawley, although it became a separate ecclesiastical parish in 1841. The current church, of Saint John the Baptist, was erected in 1874. It is of red brick with Bath Stone dressings. The design was by John Oldrid Scott and replaced an earlier church dating from 1823. There were at one time stocks in the village.
The Hampshire Advertiser, 23 Dec 1837, reports the death of John Richards of Hythe (1764-1837) and notes 'the father of the deceased founded the neat little village of Hythe: previous to his time there was no building there of greater pretensions than the huts of a few fishermen. The elder Mr Richards, when he established a shipbuilding yard at Heath (as it was then called) built houses for his workmen and the village soon sprang up.'
At the beginning of the 20th century, Hythe was a "little fishing village"; with an hourly steamboat service to Southampton, and with the clubhouse of Hythe Yacht Club at the end of the pier. Hythe remained part of the civil parish of Fawley until 1913, when it became part of the parish of Dibden.
Read more of the history
Thanks in part to the British Power Boat Company and its excellent access to the English Channel, during World War II Hythe was used as a port for the "little ships" of the Royal Navy, the Motor Torpedo Boats and the RAF Air/Sea Rescue Boats. In 1960, The Hovercraft Development Company and Sir Christopher Cockerell, its founder, moved to Hythe. There was also a small Royal Air Force base in Hythe known as RAF Hythe. Until its closure in September 2006 it was used by the United States Army to service and maintain watercraft. Part of the site is now used by the local Air Training Corps squadron. Archived 13 September 2019 at the Wayback Machine
Hythe was a village up to the 1950s, but the expansion of Fawley Refinery led to a demand for more houses for workers, and Hythe and Dibden Purlieu were allowed to expand into a small town. In 1983, following the growth of Hythe, the parish of Dibden was renamed to Hythe and Dibden, to reflect the importance of Hythe as a new focal point of the Parish. Construction of Hythe Marina began in 1985.
The town was previously served by the Hythe railway station on the Totton, Hythe and Fawley Light Railway. The station opened in 1925 and closed to passengers in 1966.
From the History section of Hythe, Hampshire on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Hythe
Geography
Hythe has a small shopping area clustered around the High Street, which includes two supermarkets (Waitrose and Lidl), a public library, several charity shops, and small independent shops. The Hythe Pier, Railway and Ferry previously operated across Southampton Water to Southampton before the ferry's closure in 2024, but still maintains the oldest functional pier train in the world.
Hythe's position makes it a good vantage point for viewing ocean liners arriving and departing at the port of Southampton, which attracts ship-watchers to the area. Hythe has a marina, at which a large number of yachts and boats are moored. Large and expensive houses are situated around the marina, overlooking the waterside.
Ewart Recreation Ground on Jones Lane in Hythe is home to Hythe and Dibden Cricket Club. The club was formed in 1948 with the amalgamation of The Hythe Club and The Dibden Purlieu Club. The Hythe club was formed in 1860.
Hythe was home to the US Army between 1968 and 2006 at RAF Hythe. Following its closure, RAF Hythe was bought by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), who turned the site into a marine business park, Hythe Marine Park. Every year, usually around August, the marina hosts the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) Great Waterside Raft Race, where teams race rafts in the Solent Estuary to raise money in support of the nearby Calshot RNLI station.
From the Wikipedia article Hythe, Hampshire, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Hythe
Bruce ParryBritish documentary creatorPhoto: BruceyP, CC BY-SA 4.0- Kevin DawtryEnglish footballer (born 1958)
- Fred ChandlerEnglish professional association footballer (1912-2005)
- Gary CooperBritish boxer
- William LangfordEnglish cricketer (1875-1957)
- Dennis LonghornEnglish footballer (born 1950)
Born in Hythe, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay6
Churches and places of worship13
Shopping8
Gas and EV charging2
Schools, colleges and libraries13
Healthcare4
Map of Hythe
101 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Southampton Airport (SOU) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 7 miles away.
- Southampton 3 mi north, about 5 min by car
- Lymington 9 mi southwest, about 15 min by car
- Romsey 10 mi northwest, about 16 min by car
- Newport 12 mi southeast, about 19 min by car
- Portsmouth 14 mi east, about 23 min by car
- New Milton 14 mi southwest, about 22 min by car
- Ryde 14 mi southeast, about 22 min by car
- Ringwood 17 mi west, about 27 min by car
- Sandown 18 mi southeast, about 29 min by car
- South Hayling 19 mi east, about 31 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Hythe
Keep exploring
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- High Street, Hythe, Hants, Poliphilo, CC0
- Itchen Bridge in 2007 HDR, Rhys Jones from Southampton, UK, CC BY 2.0
- MayflowerTheatre, Turquoisefish at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Southampton Guildhall, Michael, Public domain
- John Hansard Gallery, Murgatroyd49, CC BY-SA 4.0
- SeaCity Museum, hahnchen at Wikimedia Commons (must include link if medium allows), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Solent Sky general view, Nimbus227, Public domain
- Tudor House, Southampton, Peter Trimming from Croydon, England, CC BY 2.0
- Blechynden Terrace Park twilight, Geni, CC BY-SA 4.0
- RoyalVictoriaCountryPark, Hethurs ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0
- All Saints Church, Southampton, 1852, cropped, William Frederick Rock Cropped by Waggers, Public domain
- Church of St Julien, Southampton (1), Richard Nevell, CC BY-SA 3.0
- St Michael's Church, Southampton, June 2014 (1), Richard Nevell, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eingang-SSU, Paul Heimann ( GoG at German Wikipedia ), Public domain
- FoxMemorialMayfield, Hethurs ( talk ) 13:49, 19 May 2008 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Grand Theatre Southampton 1905, Unknown (1905), Public domain
- Redshibaurajiro, Joseph S Clark, CC0
- Southampton Medieval Merchant's House bedroom, Hchc2009, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 'Patio de Los Arrayanes' by Ben Johnson viewed by local children in Southampton City Art Gallery, Wingate16, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, noid, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ebel, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, iced, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, iced, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, iced, CC BY-SA 4.0
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
Page built November 10, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.