Hyde900 is a community project in Winchester, Hampshire, to celebrate the 900th anniversary of the founding of Hyde Abbey. For more details see the "What is Hyde900?" page.

Introduction

Hyde900 2023 Community dig involved three back gardens and a total of five trenches, with over 200 people of all ages taking part. The dig took place over the August Bank Holiday weekend 26th to 29th August with over 150 volunteers taking part. All three sites yielded some amazing finds and added considerably to our understanding of the layout of the inner court of the abbey.

Introduction

2022 was the sixth year of the Hyde900 programme of community digs exploring the site of the church and cloisters of Hyde Abbey, final resting place of Alfred the Great. The excavations, which commenced in 2016, took place in the gardens of residents of Hyde, and could not have taken place without their generous assistance and the support of the advisors to the programme, Dr David Ashby (University of Winchester), Dr Dave Stewart and Dr John Crook. To date over 600 volunteers of all ages have taken part in the programme.

The 2022 programme comprised two digs and was supported by a grant from local estate agents Belgarum, with graphic design from Adam Architecture and the loan of equipment from Winchester Archaeological and Local History Society (WARG)

The history of the abbey and the excavations and interventions relative to the Hyde900 Community Digs programme, and a summary of the 2016 to2018 digs, has been published recently. (1) The gardens in the 2022 programme revealed a 12th century water culvert, medieval walls and other structures plus a large number of finds. These included Roman pottery, medieval tiles and other building materials, as well as a large number of oyster shells and animal bones which have yet to be analysed.
A fuller report on the 2022 dig will be available shortly (2)

Hyde900 Community Archaeology Dig Finds “Lost  Cellar”

Hyde900 have just completed their sixth community dig with some extraordinary results, even for this heritage rich site. Blessed by excellent weather and huge local interest the event attracted over 140 diggers of all ages. The search  for the remains of the buildings in three gardens on the site of Hyde Abbey, the last resting place of Alfred the Great, took place in King Alfred Terrace, an area which, until the Dissolution, was the location of the cloisters and abbots lodging of Hyde Abbey. This year the dig had the added excitement of the possibility of locating a lost cellar rumoured to exist in one of the gardens.

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Excavations at Hyde Abbey, Winchester, 1972-1999!

A new book on Hyde Abbey has just been published and is on sale to members in the Hyde900 shop. Entitled ‘Excavations at Hyde Abbey 1972 to 1999’.

This book not only covers the history and the investigations in the remains, but also features descriptions of the Hyde900 digs 2016 to 2018, and our discovery of the 13th century roof in Old Hyde House, reused from an abbey building.

The book, published by the Hampshire Cultural Trust costs £30, but is available to Hyde900 members at a discounted price of £22.50.

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