Page 26 • The HERALD • 27th August 2026 v SAY YOU SAW IT IN THE HERALD v HANDY HANDS HANDYMAN SERVICES Your Local Handyman For ALL Your Small Jobs • Gutter Clearance & Clearing • PVCu Fascias, Gutters, Soffits & Conservatory Cleaning • Pressure Cleaning of Paths & Patios • Window Cleaning • Interior & Exterior Painting • Grass Cutting, Strimming • Hedge Trimming • Shed Re-treated/ Roofs Re-felted • Flat Pack Assembly Fully Insured Free Estimates Work Guaranteed References on Request T: 023 8084 0096 M: 07840 860202 THE GOLDEN ERA OF THE HOTSPUR FERRIES by Alan Titheridge On 21st August 2024, the last ferry boat of the day from Southampton moored alongside the Hythe Pier pontoon. A suspension of service from the following morning was announced, a safety issue with the aforementioned pontoon was cited. Two years later, the Hythe – Southampton ferry service, unless something extraordinary arises, has been consigned to history. ere surely isn’t a person living in Hythe or along the Waterside born before 1970 who doesn’t have a memory of or can recall with a ection the three Hotspur boats, Hotspur II, Hotspur III and Hotspur IV. is brief article is a tribute to those workhorses that during the 1950s and 1960s ran a half-hourly service from Hythe Pier to the Southampton Town Quay landing steps, more o en than not carrying near-full loads, the mail and business packages, always on time and with the odd exception, without incident or fuss. ese two decades were truly the golden era of the Hythe Ferry. ere had been a ferry service here for centuries, rstly under sail or by rowboat, and since 1830 by steamer and motor boat. It was ferry operator omas Percy, who through his family business the General Estates Company, who saw the potential of a regular twice hourly service. His existing boats were ill-equipped for such a venture, so in March 1936, he placed an order for the rst of a pair of twin-screw motor vessels with the Essex based Rowhedge Ironworks at a cost of £3150. Sadly, Mr Percy passed away before the vessel was completed, his son and successor Mr. James Douglas Percy taking over the running of the business and overseeing the introduction of the new improved service. omas Percy’s widow launched the new boat in November 1936, not naming her Hampton II as her deceased husband had decided but Hotspur II, the name having been amended by her son. Hotspur II arrived in Hythe in January 1937 and was put to work alongside the aging paddle steamer Hampton and the 1927 Hotspur whilst her sister, the second new motor vessel Hotspur III was being built at the same Rowhedge yard. Hotspur III was launched in January 1938, arriving at Hythe a month later. e long-awaited half-hourly service commenced in April 1938, Hotspur II and Hotspur III being on station. e two vessels quickly earnt popularity with passenger numbers growing year on year. Both vessels continued operating throughout the Second World War, crossing unlit a er dark with the ever-present threat of Lu wa e aerial attack. Hotspur II and Hotspur III were joined in 1947 by a slightly larger Hotspur IV and together the three vessels operated successfully through the 1950s and 1960s, growing the business, which in 1960 recorded over 750,000 single journeys. With post-war austerity waning, the 1970s saw the rise of personal motor vehicle ownership. Although people still used, and o en preferred, the ferry passage for work as well as pleasure, driving into Southampton along the relatively new A326 was becoming increasingly more Hotspur II (Credit: Alan Titheridge) Hotspur III (Credit: Alan Titheridge) Continued on page 27
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