There is a mention of a brewery in Hythe in 1669, and much later, the famous Mackeson's Brewery in Red Lion Square used the same fresh water springs until its closure in1968. The building behind the exposed tramline, which runs across the pavement in Red Lion 5quare, was the former Hythe tram shed. In 1914 tram work horses were requisitioned for the war effort and were temporarily replaced by mules.
The threat to England from the air during WWI was countered by setting up a Machine Gun School at the Imperial Hotel in 1915. Curious cut-out silhouettes of enemy aircraft were regularly mounted on trucks outside the hotel for 'moving target' practice.
Further pages in this section will be developed during the course of the next few weeks
