A former Cinque Port, Hythe is located in a sweeping bay and is popular with devotees of water sports. Although its harbour has disappeared, boats still land their catch on the beach, as they have for centuries. In the early 19^th century, the Royal Military Canal and Martello Towers were built as defensive structures while The Roughs are the site of early experiments into aircraft early warning systems using concrete bowls to pick up sounds from aircraft approaching the coast. The Church of St Leonard, standing on the site of an earlier Norman building, is one of the finest parish churches in the county, dating from around 1080 AD. Saltwood Castle is notorious as the place where the knights who murdered Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral met on the previous night to plan their shocking crime. St. Leonard’s Church has an unusual crypt and a macabre collection of bones and skulls. Despite its seaside heritage, Hythe is also the home of Mackeson milk stout!