TrustNews Dec 21

Hyde Abbey

Caroline Scott of Hyde900 on Alfred the Great’s lost minster

 

Hyde900 was initially founded to mark the 900th anniversary in 2010 of the foundation of Hyde Abbey, the final burial place of King Alfred, Ealhswitha, his wife and his son Edward. The organisation has continued to grow and diversify, putting on musical, art and heritage events to celebrate Hyde past and present.

 

Given the unique legacy of Hyde, this has been a rich tapestry of opportunity, including a ‘Reuniting the Stones of Hyde Abbey’ project which has metamorphosed into five incredibly successful community digs involving over 1000 people, 20 supervisors and 14 gardens. The finds from this have been varied and according to Professor Martin Biddle, of ‘international importance’. One spectacular site yielded the voussoirs that are now on display in Winchester's City Museum.

 

 

In 2020 there was a significant find of medieval glass, which is at the present time in the hands of Historic England and we await a detailed report. The summary report is that the find contains glass ranging across three centuries from the 12th – 15th centuries including a rare bull's eye pontil mark section, which, much to everyone's astonishment, would appear to be decorated and may well have formed part of the design of a window.

 

Other projects have included an in-depth WW1 project lasting 5 years from 2014 - 2019. Hyde has a memorial to over 70 local men who fell in WW1. For a small parish, even one in a barracks city, this is an extraordinary number. This popular project was built around an annual celebration and memorial focussed on the men who died in that specific year. The events were hosted by St Bartholomew's Church, which was commissioned in 1110 to serve the tenants and lay officials of Hyde Abbey. The tower was constructed in 1541 using stones from the abbey; the chancel was rebuilt, and the rest of the Church restored, in the 19th century. The Church is a Grade 2* listed building. Of course there is always the popular King Alfred Weekend, linked to Alfred's death on October26th, 899. This is a showcase, community engagement event that ends with a moving service of thanksgiving for all that this visionary king achieved.

 

 

These two very different projects give some flavour of the breadth of Hyde900’s initiatives. We have also taken part in Heritage Open Days, using our very popular medieval tile-making workshops to give immersive and enjoyable insight into the techniques and challenges of creating encaustic tiles. The Council for British Archaeology Festival is also now a part of our annual calendar, allowing us a stage to showcase events, finds and publications. We have a Wassail event to blow away the January blues and have pioneered a ‘Talking Heads’ series with some of the residents of Hyde involved in wider spheres of industry, professions, arts and music. We have also been involved with some most rewarding work with St Bede's Primary School, including an Archaeology Day.

 

Our plans include a continuation of these projects but also an active partnership with St Bartholomew's, Hyde Gate Charter group and Friends of Hyde Abbey Garden, consulting with the Town Forum Heritage Group to explore how to promote, preserve and care about the heritage jewels that we are lucky enough to have in this area, both above and below the ground.

 

 

If you are interested in joining Hyde900, please go to www.hyde900.org,uk. Volunteers who wish to come and share in the enthusiasm and enjoyment to be gained from being a part of the team are always welcome: do please get in touch with Caroline Scott at scotty@traceysheppard.co.uk.