The Hythe

The Hythe. Huthe. , The Hythe was already in existence by the late 7th century, established as a port where the curve of the River was favourable to the berthing of the craft. In the medieval period its importance was emphasised by its location opposite the important town of Staines, with the bridge over the Thames linking the two. , Staines was an important Roman settlement, and the Roman bridge was probably in a similar position to the medieval one. An archaeological excavation in the grounds of the Ann Boleyn Hotel has revealed that the Hythe was also settled in the Roman period, almost certainly for the same reasons as later., Many of the surviving buildings on the Hythe belong to the 17th and 18th centuries, and it would seem that this was a period of particular prosperity (Rocque's map of 1768 clearly shows the buildings that made up the settlement at the Hythe, clustered around the Surrey side of Staines Bridge). Aubrey, in the late 17 century, referred to ‘a little Haven, call'd Hythe where the Western barges load and unload’. The expansion of barge traffic in this period may well have led to an improved commercial position for the Hythe., In 1791-6 a new stone bridge was built. Inadequate foundations soon led to its failure, but remains of it survive next to 'Ye Old Bridge Cottage'. Further short-lived replacements were built, but eventually, in 1832, the present Staines Bridge was constructed some 200m upstream. Traffic was now directed around the Hythe, and this has ensured the protection of the area from modern development, and the preservation of many fine old buildings.