| Where: | Winchester, Hants at St Bartholomew's Church and Hyde Abbey, on King Alfred Place |
| When: | Weekend near 26th October with Memorial Service on the Sunday |
| Time: | Memorial Service 10 am |
Every October King Alfred the Great is remembered at Winchester, with a memorial service on the Sunday nearest the anniversary of his death on 26th October 899; Winchester was the capital of Alfred’s kingdom of Wessex and Alfred and his family chose it as their burial place, though originally they were interred at the Old Minster near their palace and were translated to the Abbey in 1110 on the orders of Henry I. There are sometimes guided walks around the local area, lectures and other themed workshops and events. The commemorative service, with rousing hymns and maybe some prayers in Old English which were translated by Alfred, is held at St Bartholomew’s Church, followed by a procession to Hyde Abbey gardens where dignitaries including the Mayor lay floral tributes upon the graves of Alfred, his wife Alswitha and son Edward. Following the dissolution of the monasteries, the church built for pilgrims and lay brothers of Hyde Abbey was converted into St Bartholomew’s Church, with the Abbey ruins just over the road and the burial site in the gardens nearby. The graves were desecrated many years ago and the bones scattered, but the burial sites are marked in the Abbey Gardens. The events are run by the church and by the Hyde900 project, which was founded in 2010 to celebrate the 900th anniversary of the foundation of Hyde Abbey; the project explores the local area and its place in history, and organises community digs and other events throughout the year. There are currently plans to create a permanent display relating to Alfred as part of the church renovation project.
Helpful Hints
In 2024 it was on Sunday 27th October- 2025 date is yet to be confirmed but likely to be Sunday 26th which is the actual anniversary. Check the Hyde900 links below for full details.
The famous stature of Alfred is situated at the east end of The Broadway.
Click here for Hyde900’s website: https://www.hyde900.org.uk
and Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Hyde900
Click here for St Bartholomew’s Church website: https://threesaints.org.uk
and Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/threesaintswinchester/
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