Today, Hursley Park near Winchester is a private estate owned by the IBM. Here you will find new buildings and also an 18th-century Queen Anne style mansion in which - many of our listeners will recall - once saw spitfires built in the ballroom!
Today’s story however is takes us back even further in time as once a grand Tudor house stood here, almost forgotten apart from a faint outline on the croquet lawn.
In 2021, the Winchester Archaeology Rescue Group (WARG) was given exclusive access to excavate the site and learn more about what was hiding under the earth. Dave Key, the voluntary science historian at Hursley Park and Stuart Rippon, a member of WARG reveals the incredible discoveries they made.
Stuart Rippon is a member of WARG, the Winchester Archaeology and Local History Society established in 1972 to preserve Winchester’s archaeology. Stuart took up amateur archaeology 6 years ago following 3 years research in the history of his own village which eventually led to a WARG dig to find medieval buildings.
David Key has a long-standing passion for local history in Hampshire and has been the voluntary site historian at Hursley Park for several years. In this role, he’s carried out wide-ranging research on Hursley Park’s incarnations as a grand country estate, wartime hospital, design facility for Vickers Supermarine and most recently as a development laboratory for technology company IBM.
What is WARG?
WARG stands for Winchester Archaeology Rescue Group and promotes the study of archaeology and local history in the City of Winchester and the surrounding area. They do this through monthly events including lectures, walks, excursions and excavations. WARG members are mostly amateur archaeologists and historians, some with 40+ years of experience, alongside professionals from the University of Winchester and commercial firms.
You can find more information about who they are and their work on their website.
Photo credit: Stuart Rippon and WARG
Further resources
If you enjoyed this podcast and would like to find out more about the very important work and the rich history of Hursley Park, follow @hursleypark on Facebook.
Read Dave Key’s article about the excavation: Hampshire's Lost Mansion.
And if you want to learn more about Hursley Park, then why not visit their website.
As a result of their Big Dig project, WARG has created a diary where you can read more about the project itself - The Search for The Great Lodge at Hursley Park.