Hythe Pier, Railway and Ferry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hythe Pier, Railway and Ferry |
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| Overview | |
| Coordinates | ACoordinates: Unknown argument format |
| Stations | 2 |
| Service | |
| Type | Pier, railway and ferry |
| Operator(s) | Blue Funnel Ferries Ltd |
| Rolling stock |
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Listed Building – Grade II
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| Official name | Hythe Pier |
| Designated | 17 August 2021 |
| Reference no. | 1476460 |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 2 ft (610 mm) |
The Hythe Pier, the Hythe Pier Railway, and the Hythe Ferry work together. They connect the city of Southampton with the village of Hythe in Hampshire, England. This link is important for people going to work and for tourists. It is also part of the Solent Way and E9 European coastal walking paths. The ferry is the only one left of many that used to cross Southampton Water.
The pier, railway, and ferry are currently run by Blue Funnel Ferries. In 2016, the old owners warned about possible job losses. But after many talks, Blue Funnel took over in April 2017. The railway is special because it is the oldest public pier train in the world that has been running without stopping.
The ferry was supposed to stop running at the end of 2022. However, services continued while a new owner was sought. In September 2023, Red Funnel, another ferry company, announced it had taken over the ferry service.
Contents
Discovering Hythe Pier
Hythe Pier stretches about 640 meters (700 yards) from Hythe to the deep water of Southampton Water. This makes it the 7th longest pier in the British Isles. It is about 5 meters (16 feet) wide. The pier has a path for people walking and cycling on its northern side. The Hythe Pier Railway runs on its southern side. When the tide is high, the pier is about 1.2 meters (4 feet) above the water.
A company tried to build a pier in 1870. They got permission from Parliament in 1871. But this plan did not work out.
A second company formed in 1874. They got a new law passed in 1875. However, arguments with the Southampton Harbour and Pier Board caused delays. Construction finally started in 1879. The pier opened on January 1, 1881, costing £7,000 to build. There was a toll house at the start of the pier. This was replaced by the current ticket office in the early 1900s. The old toll house is still there and used by a travel company. The pier had major repairs in 1896, costing £1,500.
In August 2021, the pier and its buildings were given Grade II listed status. This means they are important historic buildings.
Exploring the Hythe Pier Railway
The 1878 law allowed a tramway to be built on the pier. But one was not built right away. Trucks used to carry luggage were damaging the pier. So, in 1909, a narrow gauge railway was built on the northern side. The vehicles were pushed by hand. The track was level with the pier floor.
In 1922, the electric railway we see today was built. It runs on the southern side of the pier. The track is a narrow gauge of 610 millimeters (2 feet). It gets electricity from a third rail on the side closest to the sea. The line has one track with no places for trains to pass. There are two non-electric tracks at the land end. One of these goes into the railway's workshop. There are stations at both ends of the line. They have low wooden platforms. The pier head station has a roof. The land station has a ticket office and a waiting area.
The railway uses two electric locomotives built in 1917. They were made by Brush. They were first powered by batteries. They were used at a World War I mustard gas factory. After the war, they came to Hythe. Here, they were changed to get power from the third rail. Their batteries were removed. There was a third locomotive at first. But it was used for spare parts and removed in 1935.
The line has four passenger coaches. Two of these have a driving area at the end closest to the sea. Usually, one train runs with a locomotive pushing three passenger coaches. There is also a flat car for luggage. The locomotive is always at the land end. The passenger coach at the sea end must have a driving area. The line also has a four-wheel oil-tanker. This is used to carry fuel to the Hythe ferries.
Riding the Hythe Ferry
Every train connects with a Hythe Ferry arrival and departure at the pier head. The ferry carries people and bicycles. The trip takes about 10 minutes. On the way, the ferry passes the terminal for large passenger liners like Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria. This gives great views of these big ships when they are in port.
The Southampton terminal is at Town Quay. This is also where the Red Funnel ferries to the Isle of Wight leave from. Town Quay is a short walk from the city centre. Buses connect it to the city centre and Southampton Central railway station.
A ferry has crossed from Hythe to Southampton since the Middle Ages. It is even shown on a map from 1575. Steam vessels started being used in 1830. From 1889, the Percy family helped run the ferry. From 1900 to 1980, the service was run by the General Estates Company, owned by the Percy family. Because of this, many ferries were named Hotspur. This name came from Henry Percy, a famous person in history.
From 1991 to 2017, White Horse Ferries operated the ferry.
Some ferries that have operated on this service include:
- MV Hythe Hotspur (bought in 1978)
- MV New Forester (introduced in 1982)
- MV Solent Rose (borrowed in 2013)
- MV Uriah Heep (removed after hitting the pier in 2016)
- Hotspur IV (built in 1946, served until 2014)
Hotspur IV was the last of a line of similar ferries. One of her older sister ships, Hotspur II from 1936, later worked as a ferry in Scotland.
The next owners, Blue Funnel, used two main vessels for the ferry service. A third, Ocean Scene, was used when needed.
- Hythe Scene is a catamaran ferry. It was first used on a ferry service across the River Thames.
- Jenny Ann (also known as Faldore II and Puffin Belle).
On September 7, 2023, Red Funnel announced they had bought the Hythe Ferry.
Changes in Pier Ownership
A local community group held a meeting in November 2016. They wanted to "Save Hythe Pier and ferry." They planned to set up a group called "Hythe Pier Heritage Association." In February 2017, Hampshire County Council gave money to White Horse Ferries. This helped them get a temporary ferry while MV Great Expectations was being fixed.
On February 6, 2019, Blue Funnel announced they planned to give the pier to the Hythe Pier Heritage Association. This was 140 years after the pier was first built.
Collisions with the Pier
On July 30, 1885, the pier was hit by a ship called Annie. Five of the pier's support poles were damaged. On August 26, 1915, the pier was hit by a sailing barge called Itchen. Luckily, there was no damage that time. The pier's poles were damaged again in 1945 when a landing craft hit it.
On November 1, 2003, a dredger ship called Donald Redford hit the pier. It tore a 46-meter (150-foot) hole in the middle. This cut off the pier head from the land. The dredger did not hit the pier train, and no one was hurt. This happened just after many people had left a football match. Repairs to the pier cost £308,000. The pier reopened on January 7, 2004. The person in charge of the dredger faced consequences for the incident.
On May 13, 2016, the ferry Uriah Heep hit the pier. This damaged the ferry's control room. The ferry had to be taken out of service. A report found that the crash was likely caused by a mechanical problem. The report also noted that the ferry's docking area at Hythe was very tight. This made it hard to stop if something went wrong.
