Page 12 • The HERALD • 28th March 2024 v EMAIL YOUR NEWS: editor@herald-publishing.co.uk v • New flooring & repairs • Interior & exterior fitted windows & doors • Fitted kitchens • Stairs & decking • Architrave & skirting • Pergolas & car ports • Gates made & fitted • Bespoke Summer houses • Garden structures & landscaping structures • Roofing & Fencing • Fencing • Structural wooden repairs James Powell Carpentry Jamespowellcarpentry.co.uk and find on Check a Trade Contact 07500 113098 Call for a no obligation quote New Forest Scaffolding All aspects of scaffolding undertaken • Extensions • Chimneys • Re-Roofing • New Builds etc For a friendly, local, reliable service and a free quotation Telephone: 07734 476855 www.newforestscaffolding.co.uk Full Liability Insurance Lychette Cottage, Roughdown, Blackfield SO45 1XG ALL ASPECTS OF ELECTRICAL WORK UNDERTAKEN • Full Rewires • New Circuits • Consumer Unit Replacements • Electric Vehicle Charging Points • Landlord Certification • Smart Homes • Central Heating Controls 023 8089 0932 or 07534 343631 www.alnelectrical.co.uk info@alnelectrical.co.uk • Airport & Seaport Specialists • Highly Competitive Fares • Friendly, Reliable Service • Comfortable 6 Seater MPVs • Any Distance - Minimum Fare £10 Before booking your journey please call us for a free quotation 07770 967198 or 023 8194 8754 www.kazcarz.co.uk FLAT ROOFING SPECIALISTS All Roof Repairs Tel: 023 8184 5632 Mobile: 07880 508415 Email: steve@braithwaiteroo ng.co.uk THE FLAT ROOF SPECIALIST Send your local news to The Editor, The Herald, 2 High Street, Hythe SO45 6AH HPHA and Hythe Pier Needs You! e contribution to the development of Hythe and the Waterside that Hythe Pier has made since its opening almost a century and a half ago cannot be overestimated. It opened up access to the commercial centre of Southampton, allowing the ferry tra c that had previously been operated by row boats, sailing wherries and the early paddle steamers from an o en ooded Hard to ourish. With the new pier came new ferry boats that could carry greater numbers of passengers and volume of freight. In 1922, the electric train that is still operating more than a century later, improved facilities still further. During the 1930’s, the industrialisation of the Waterside saw large numbers of workers travelling across to Hythe daily. British Power Boats and Supermarine, the largest employers of the time relied on the ferry and consequently the pier to for their labour as the unemployment level in Hythe at the time was negligible with only 64 local residents without a job. e manager of the Hythe employment exchange was quoted in the local press in April 1936 that he had “never had so few names on his books”. e 1930s was also the golden era of the ocean liner and large numbers used the pier head at Hythe to view the daily departures of the leviathans that passed by, almost within touching distance. By 1960, 760,000 single ferry journeys were recorded. Ferry tra c since has declined, primarily during the 1970’s and 1980’s through the advancement of private motor vehicle ownership. Freight is nowadays almost exclusively moved by road. e factories that once prospered in the Shipyard Estate on Shore Road have also gone. However, over 200,000 single journeys were still recorded in 2019. Hythe Pier continues to play a major part in the local economy and with its railway continues to be the beating heart of the community. Hythe Pier is a Victorian masterpiece, acknowledged by Historic England as such with its awarding of a Grade II Listing in 2021, a new status that will arrest the decline it endured during the earlier years of the new millennium. Hythe Pier Heritage Association was formed in 2017 “to preserve and protect Hythe Pier, its train and associated structures from further deterioration and develop it to be a real community feature”. Since, the community bene ts society has raised and spent many tens of thousands of pounds on protection work on the pier and restoration of the railway, including the recent relaying of the rst section of the track. HPHA director Alan Titheridge, says “HPHA can be really proud of that which it has achieved to date but there is so much more it both wants and needs to do. Funding is everything, with the directors and volunteers continually seeking grants and event contributions to effect this.” Chairman, Anthony Smith adds: “We need a larger pool of board members. To expand that pool, we need to develop a list of active volunteers who are interested in becoming involved in the organisation (not necessarily running) of some of our projects and events.” If you can o er skills and time to advance HPHA’s ambition to make Hythe Pier the standout facility along the Waterside and an asset to Southampton Water, please contact the organisation through its website: www.hythepierha.org.uk or by email: information@hythepierha.org.uk HPHA and Hythe Pier really needs you. Photo credit: Gary Woletz
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