Mullet

A Memory of Hythe.

I used the ferry to get to school in Southampton from 1961 to 1966.I well remember the shoals of Mullet which would gather at the stern of the Hotspur ferry when the boat was awaiting passengers. The river was so clear that the fish were a spectacle. I also remember the smells and sounds and warmth of the engine-room which the captain communicated with through a speaking tube. The seats outside, as I remember, comprised wooden life-rafts joined with rope. Everything was highly varnished and the Brass was worn with care!

Oh! And the sound of the bell as she theatened to leave for Southampton. Ting ting ting

I worked in the Post Office in 1964 for the summer. I would eat my lunch of chips from the chippy and then buy an iced bun from the cake-shop, Hythe had all mod cons ....