[Source: Nick Catford] Hythe Station Gallery 3: April 1970 - December 1975 23.jpg)
A view of Hythe dock looking towards Fawley in April 1970. Perhaps not the easiest of pictures to interpret, the dock is ahead of the camera and where the right-angled shape can be seen just below, as we view it, the tree. A reference point with other photograph is the fencing on the right where it continues down the platform ramp and, of course, the Southern Railway sign. The apparently well maintained sign warns against trespass under Section [unreadable] of The Southern Railway Act 1924. It ends with 'Penalty Not Exceeding' but with the sum of money painted out and thus unreadable. Often the sum was forty shillings and shown as either 40s. or 40/-. Forty shillings was £2 in decimal currency and in 1924 was a considerable sum of money, perhaps two weeks wages for an unskilled worker. The siding serving Hythe's dock branched off just before the point where the line curves to the right in the background. The spur to the low-level goods yard was much further away and out of sight round the curve in this view. The two junctions were controlled by Hythe West and East ground frames respectively, later being unlocked from Frost Lane signal box. Previous arrangements are unclear but unlocking would have been by key attached to train staff obtained from either Marchwood or Fawley signal boxes or, possibly, from Hythe stationmaster.
Photo by Ian Nolan from his Flickr photostream 13.jpg)
Hythe station from track level in April 1970. Compared to post-closure pictures of other stations on the Fawley branch, it will be noticed that Hythe lost its running-in boards as well as its lamp standards. Quite why this was so is unclear although Marchwood and Fawley, unlike Hythe, did continue in railway use after withdrawal of passenger services. A possible explanation might involve the cutting back of Hythe's platform but quite when this occurred is not known; certainly the work had been done by 1975.
Photo by Ian Nolan from his Flickr photostream 14.jpg)
Hythe station from track level in April 1970. The wooden gate, left, plus the gate at the dock seen in other views, appears to have been well maintained. These items were probably repainted shortly before closure as was seemingly often the case. The light fittings beneath the eaves remain and are yet to commence the process of dropping off. The door of the stationmaster's office, near end of the building, has had its glass boarded over and the 'Station Master' sign may or may not still be present beneath the board but in all likelihood it was removed.
Photo by Ian Nolan from his Flickr photostream 22.jpg) Hythe station building from track level in April 1970. At this time the building, chimney pot excepted, was, externally at least, still in reasonable condition.
Photo by Ian Nolan from his Flickr photostream 19.jpg)
Hythe station in April 1970. The white gate stands out like a sore thumb, as does the white platform edging. Near the tree in the background can just be discerned the site of the points leading to the dock. At left can be seen part of the station approach road which was on a gradient and joined Shore Road. Beyond the approach road part of the former Supermarine complex can be seen, but this time RAF Hythe and used by the US Army.
Photo
by Ian Nolan from his Flickr photostream
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Hythe in April 1970 looking towards South Street bridge and Marchwood. At extreme right a couple of the concrete platform ramp supports can be seen. Whether the platform edge stones had been removed for use elsewhere, or stolen, or if cutting back of the platform had begun is not known but other April 1970 photographs show no evidence of the latter. This scene shows well the embankment which was responsible for Hythe goods yard being at a lower level. Reasonably apparent, too, is the slight gradient leading up to South Street bridge. Perhaps not apparent on this size image but clear on a larger version is a young boy to the left of the track and immediately beyond the bridge. There is also an object apparently lying on the track opposite the boy but the track curvature makes it difficult to determine if the object is actually on the track or beside it. The building right of centre is shown on the 1932 map as 'Fawley Lodge'. One wonders if there was a building in Fawley named 'Hythe Lodge'!
Photo by Ian Nolan from his Flickr photostream 18.jpg)
Hythe station looking east towards Fawley in April 1970. The buildings with the chimney, left, were part of a large complex erected by the Admiralty during WWI for the construction of flying boat hulls with this work undertaken, apparently from 1925, by Messrs May, Harden & May. Examples of flying boat hulls built at Hythe were the Felixstowe F2A and F5, Porte Baby, Phoenix P5 and Fairey Atalanta. Final erection was undertaken elsewhere, at Felixstowe in some cases. The complex faced onto Shore Road with its opposite side on the shore of Southampton Water where a small harbour and slipway were provided. Supermarine, who had their main works at Woolston, Southampton, then took over the Hythe complex and used it to assemble seaplanes such as the Southampton's, Seagulls and Walruses. In the 1930s Supermarine rented space at Hythe to Imperial Airways for the maintenance of their famous Empire flying boats. In 1928 Supermarine became part of Vickers-Armstrongs, which had its roots in Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co, and prior to WWII the complex bore an enormous sign on its shore side stating 'Vickers Supermarine Works'. The area was a target for the Luftwaffe during WWII and in particular Southampton. Imperial Airways, which went on to become BOAC, ceased using the site in 1950 and from 1967 it became RAF Hythe. Manned by US Field Army Support Brigade & Combat Equipment Battalion - Hythe, it was used mostly for boat repairs and when this function ended in September 2006 it was the very last US Army installation in the UK. Today the site contains many more-modern buildings and still serves the purpose for which it was intended, the maritime industry, but, of course, the flying boats have long gone. It is now known as Hythe Marine Park.
Photo by Ian Nolan from his Flickr photostream 24.jpg) Hythe station building from the approach road in April 1970. The gradient of the approach road is obvious. The raised platform behind the white gate was merely a reward extension of the main platform compensating for the different levels between railway track and approach road. The concrete lamp standard was a standard Southern Railway type and thought to have been the sole example at Hythe. Its cantilever pointed away from the station platform and thus its purpose was to illuminate this side of the forecourt. It is possible that the map, the raised platform and the white gate were installed for the benefit of the Royal Mail. Once a familiar sight at most railway stations, postmen loading and unloading mail to and from trains usually had access to the platform away from that used by passengers. This was not so much a security issue but to ensure movements of mail were not obstructed by passengers and others or vice versa, thus ensuring that trains were not delayed longer than was necessary.
Photo by Ian Nolan from his Flickr photostream 1.jpg)
Hythe station in December 1975. There were there electric light fittings on the platform side of the building and all three are still present although that at the far end appears destined to not remain present for much longer. Buildings of the former Supermarine works can be seen in the background.
Photo
by Nick Catford
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Hythe station in December 1975 looking in the direction of Marchwood. The estate car parked at the end of the station building is difficult to identify but is suspected of being a Peugeot 504.
Photo by Nick Catford 3.jpg) Looking through the encroaching undergrowth along what remained of Hythe's platform in December 1975. The three electric light fittings on the station building can be clearly seen from this angle, that at the far end seemingly being not long off descending to ground level. It is hard to appreciate that less than ten years previously this now-sorry sight was still served by passenger trains.Photo by Nick Catford Click here for Hythe Station Gallery 4:
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