The history of Old Hyde House

Working with our in-house Architectural Historian, Dr Helen Lawrence-Beaton, we’re introducing our new history series. Throughout this series, we’ll take a closer look at the history and heritage of some of the buildings we’ve had the privilege to restore, shining a light on their architectural significance and the stories they hold.

To begin, we’re starting close to home with Old Hyde House - a historic site that has been carefully restored and now serves as our Winchester office.

This property stands on part of the former Hyde Abbey complex, where King Alfred the Great was laid to rest. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, a Tudor house was built on the site, reusing stone and timbers from the abbey buildings. Fragments of stone from the former abbey can be spotted within the boundary walls and around the site.

When ADAM Architecture moved to the property, historic research uncovered several documents that captured the appearance of this mansion and its large gardens.

By the 18th century, the area had become associated with hop farming and brewing and the main house was largely demolished and replaced with a malt house - now known as Hyde Barn.

The site also served as Chaplin’s furniture depository, and historic photos capture the buildings in this use around 1900. A ‘ghost’ sign from this era is still visible on the front wall of the barn.

Later, the site was used as an engineering centre for the General Post Office, before being redeveloped in 1977 as the Historic Resources Centre for Winchester City Council.

After a period of disuse, a major restoration project was undertaken by ADAM Architecture. The sensitive refurbishment ensured the sustainable reuse of these significant listed buildings as the company’s head office.