Hythe and Southampton Ferry Company
Conrad Beighton and Stewart Goldsmith from Leonard Curtis were appointed Joint Liquidators to The Hythe and Southampton Ferry Company on 30th April 2026.
A ferry has operated from Hythe to Southampton since the Middle Ages and the current ferry, Hythe Scene, used to run daily between Hythe Pier and Town Quay in Southampton before the daily service stopped 18 months ago, due to infrastructure problems.
The Hythe and Southampton Ferry Company Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Southampton Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Company Limited that trades as Red Funnel.
The company and its owners tried to find a solution that would allow the Hythe Ferry to continue including securing additional funding, exploring grant opportunities and inviting interest from potential investors or operators, but without success.
So the Company has now been placed into creditors’ voluntary liquidation (CVL).
Conrad Beighton from Leonard Curtis commented: “We will now start work on marketing the company and realising any assets for creditors as part of the CVL process.”
A spokesperson for owners Red Funnel said: “The Hythe Ferry is a much-loved service with significant heritage value, and the decision to place it into a CVL has only been reached after exhausting every possible option.”
The Company continued to support its employees throughout the difficulties and ensured that staff were paid.
Conrad added: “We are exploring all possible options in relation to the assets which may still enable a service to be operated at some future date, although this is by no means guaranteed and, in the meantime, we will help all former staff and creditors through the CVL process.”
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