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Maintenance At Westcliff Hall Hotel
A Memory of Hythe.
In about 1961 my family moved from Langdown Rd in Hythe to live in The Lodge, West St Hythe.
I was 18. My dad had a building maintenance business and was soon contracted to take over the maintenance of the WestCliff Hall Hotel which at the time was managed by a Mr. Piggot.
At that time, the building was somewhat run down and dad put a lot of effort into returning it to it's former glory. I was an poorly paid apprentice then and to help out financially, I sometimes washed dishes in the stillroom at the hotel if they were short-handed.
At about that time, the Southampton Dock Authority purchased the building and lands and my understanding was that the rent increased making the business of the hotel no longer feasible. The hotel closed and the last time I personally saw it, from the Hythe ferry, the roof had collapsed and it looked to be in a very sad state.
Happily, I recently discovered that the hall has been restored and is now an old folks home which is the the way that I remember it in the old days. Many of the guests were actually permanent residents although there were for a few summers regular tour coaches making overnight stops.
I can't think of a more fitting way for Westcliff Hall to continue it's days.
Barry Black
#340010
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Comments & Feedback
I had a friend that lived on Langdown estate called Ann Cleal maybe you knew her? I do not remember your name but you maybe remember mine... Christyne Perl perhaps also you might remember my friend Colin Goodchild who lived in Beaulieu and was well know in the area? My friend Ann and Colin sadly gone now...
I'm afraid that I don't recall you, but it has been a while. I do remember some people called Cleal, but not where they actually lived. Surprisingly now, most of the folks who lived close by us in Hythe did stay there for a very long time. I suppose it was just that housing was still in demand, not long after WW2. I has a few friends who lived close by, Christopher (Chris) Thomas, David Peckham (who lived next door) and John Libby come to mind. I heard that John had passed a few years ago, and I have lost touch with the others.
Many of us used to go to the Esso Club dances,
St. Johns Hall in Hythe was another place that had a very popular Friday night dance.
Just remembered the Fenners the only Indian family that lived in the village I think the father might have been a fireman. You might remember them.
One of the sons married my school friend Katherine Hollis who was quite young at the time.The last time I heard they were still married.
I remember seeing the original bar/lounge and marvelling at the ocean liner styling. There was an old pianola in the basement that we would play and I am pretty sure that the same basement housed a Folk Club that I later attended a few times as a teenager.
Sadly Pauline's Dad died suddenly of a heart attack so she and her Mum had to move out of West Cliff Hall to live with Granny and Auntie in Lyndhurst.
But....such happy days and memories.