The attractive seaside town of Hythe, on the south-east coast of Kent,
is one of the famous Cinque Ports. With an illustrious history of
guarding this vulnerable corner of England, Hythe blossomed into a quiet
seaside resort famed for its Royal Military Canal, attractive old High
Street and macabre collection of skulls and bones in the parish church
crypt. The beauty and charm of Hythe was captured in the many picture
postcards of the town issued from the beginning of the twentieth century
when postcards were the principal form of communication. Through the
author's beautiful collection of postcards, we can view the changes to
Hythe through the years and see some of the buildings that have been
lost along the way. The town's main attractions, such as the seafront,
canal, parish church, High Street and light railway, are all featured on
these attractive colour postcards. Other aspects of Hythe's history,
including events and disasters, were issued on rarer monochrome
postcards, a selection of which are included. Hythe's eastern suburb of
Seabrook and the adjoining village of Saltwood complete the postcard
history of this quintessential English town.
