The Folkestone, Hythe and Sandgate Tramways operated a tramway service in

Hythe, Kent Hythe () is a coastal market town on the edge of Romney Marsh, in the district of Folkestone and Hythe on the south coast of Kent. The word ''Hythe'' or ''Hithe'' is an Old English word meaning haven or landing place. History The town has m ...

between 1891 and 1921.

History

The tramway was associated with the efforts to develop the properties of the Seabrook Estate Company and the Seabrook Hotel Company, both promotions of Sir

Edward Watkin Sir Edward William Watkin, 1st Baronet (26 September 1819 – 13 April 1901) was a British Member of Parliament and railway entrepreneur. He was an ambitious visionary, and presided over large-scale railway engineering projects to fulfil his b ...

of the South Eastern Railway. The Folkestone, Sandgate and Hythe Tramways Act 1884 authorised the construction of the line, and the South Eastern Railway Act 1887, passed on 12 July 1887, authorised the railway to guarantee the interest on the capital. The first section to open was from Hythe railway station to

Seabrook, Kent Seabrook is a small coastal village in Kent, England. The village lies in-between Sandgate and Hythe. The Royal Military Canal starts here. There is a Church of England Primary School and a local pub "The Fountain". The promenade leading from Sea ...

, to facilitate the construction of the Princes Road Parade and the sea wall designed by Sir John Goode for the Seabrook Estate Company. Services started on 18 May 1891 from Sandgate School to the Seabrook Hotel. It was extended to the Red Lion Hotel, Hythe on 6 June 1892. There were five tramcars and 25 horses. The service was half-hourly and the fare was 3d. A storm between 10 and 14 February 1899 damaged the tramway on Sandgate seafront. A stretch of sea wall was breached opposite Wellington terrace. An act of parliament on 4 August 1906 authorised the Folkestone, Hythe and Sandgate Tramways Company to take over the system from the South Eastern Railway.

Closure

During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

the military commandeered the horses and services were suspended on 7 August 1914. It reopened after the war in the summer only, but services finally ended in 1921.The Hythe and Sandgate Tramway, Charles E. Lee, The Railway Magazine, October 1950

References

{{Historic UK Trams Tram transport in England Rail transport in Kent