Having been moved from place to place for over 200 years, King Alfred the Great's roaming remains finally came to rest at Hyde Abbey in 1110: a newly formed Benedictine house. With such a regal presence, the Abbey became a hugely popular pilgrimage destination until its destruction during the Reformation. But now the history behind the burial place of one of Hampshire's most famous residents is being unearthed for all to see...

Just imagine unearthing a bit of 12th century cloister in your back garden, or a haul of medieval stained glass. For residents of the Hyde district of Winchester, these finds are among the many treasures to emerge from community digs in the area organised by the project Hyde 900.

Established in 2008, Hyde900 is a community project that was originally set up to commemorate the 900th anniversary of the foundation of Hyde Abbey. The project has since gone on to organise further cultural events and archaeological digs as well as support research into the Abbey's history. We spoke to David Spurling, current lead trustee and community dig organiser (2016-20) of Hyde900, about the history and archaeology surrounding the site. Listen to this episode to find out more about the Hyde900 story and some of their amazing discoveries, as well as some light-hearted and interesting tales from the past.

In this episode, you can also find out more about Hyde900's upcoming events including a local meet and greet, their latest community did In this episode, and a free tile-making event for children where they can create their own medieval tiles (similar to those in the cathedral) and these tiles are also available to be glazed and fired for a small fee.

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David Spurling

David lives in a 16th century cottage on outskirts of Winchester, married with 4 children (and 9 grandchildren!). Since he got involved with Hyde 900 he has discovered that the stone chimney in his cottage is made from recycled stone from Hyde Abbey

He is also a trustee of Hampshire Archives Trust and committee member of WARG and WARG dig committee.

In this episode, David speaks about a free tile-making event for children where they can create their own medieval tiles (similar to those in the cathedral) and these tiles are also available to be glazed and fired for a small fee.

This is the partial cloister arch that was found under someone’s garden shed!

A sketch of the Hyde Abbey cloisters by Ross Lovett

Hyde 900’s digs have been receiving increasing media attention after their numerous finds.

Further Information and Additional Links

If you would like to find out more about Hyde 900 and all of their digs and other projects, visit their website or social media pages:

Website - www.hyde900.org.uk
Facebook - @Hyde900
Twitter - @Hyde900org

There are several organisations that deserve credit for their collaboration with Hyde900 and they include ADAM Architecture, CBA, Hampshire Field Club and Belgarum. David also recommends taking a look at

WARG - the society for Winchester archaeology and local history, promotes the study of archaeology and local history in the City of Winchester and the surrounding area,
Hampshire Archives Trust - a member-led charity that works to support and promote Hampshire's rich archival heritage.