Reuniting the Stones
'Hidden in Hyde' - The Stones of Hyde Abbey
A Hyde900 heritage project - rediscovering 900 years of history, hidden in local homes and streets
The history of Hyde and Abbots Barton is uniquely tied to Hyde Abbey, a Benedictine monastery and the final burial place of King Alfred the Great. From 1110 to 1537, the Abbey stood on the site now occupied by King Alfred Place and the Hyde Abbey Garden.
Immediately after the Abbey was dissolved in 1538, the majority of its buildings (apart from Hyde Gate and chamber) were demolished and much of the stonework was re-used locally in the construction of St. Bartholomew’s Church tower, in buildings such as Old Hyde House, and in walls around Hyde Street.
It's easy to overlook this stonework - much of it isn't in public places, having been used in lofts and basements and garden walls of private houses – often incorporated incongruously alongside Victorian red brick.
Some stones will have been discarded in renovation projects and lost, so the Hidden in Hyde heritage project set out to discover and map the stones from the Abbey that have been re-used in the local area.
Hyde-Stones-Boards_all1.pdfHyde900's 'Reuniting the Stones' (PDF) tells the story of search for the stones from 2016-2019
More recently, self-guided trails have been created to highlight specific stones and masons' marks hidden in the walls of St Bartholomew's Church and the surrounding Hyde streets.
HiH stones trail.pdfSpotting the Stones Trail - 'Hidden in Hyde' (PDF)
St Barts stones trail.pdfSpotting the Stones Trail - St Bartholomew's Church (PDF)