Two Winchester heritage charities are merging in a move that is aimed to benefit them and the community.
Members of Friends of Hyde Abbey Garden and Hyde900 voted on June 1 to amalgamate the organisations under the Hyde900 umbrella.
The proposed change should secure the future of Hyde Abbey garden by strengthening the board of trustees and securing more volunteers for maintenance.
Hyde Abbey garden, the resting place of King Alfred the Great pic.twitter.com/InoYq4u8IQ
— Sebastian Haw (@haw_sebastian) June 5, 2024
The garden is on the site of Hyde Abbey, which was destroyed on the orders of Henry VIII during the dissolution of the monasteries between 1538 and 1541.
Locals have adorned the park with glass engravings and benches which evoke the old Benedictine monastery, whose only remnants above ground are Hyde Abbey gatehouse and St Bartholomew's Church.
In the centre of the gardens lie three ledger stones where King Alfred is presumed to have been reburied along with his wife and son in 1110.
Hyde900 has organised archaeological digs, leading to the discovery of a 'lost cellar' in 2022. The garden itself was inaugurated by Alan Titchmarsh in 2007.
In a statement Hyde 900 said: "This proposed change will secure the future of the Garden by providing a strengthened board of Trustees and a wider range of local volunteers to support the day-to-day maintenance of the Garden.
"It is hoped that members of both charities will benefit from sharing the care and continuing responsibilities for our local historical environment, as well as from the enjoyment of discovering more of our rich heritage. "
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