About Us

St. Bartholomew's serves the communities of Hyde and Abbotts Barton and welcomes all ages as we seek to live generous and hope-filled lives. Families enjoy our thriving Messy Church and we have a strong relationship with St Bede Church of England Primary School. We also support a child at the Ikona Hillside School, Kisiizi, Uganda, and numerous  local care agencies including Winchester Basics Bank, Winchester Beacon and the Trinity Centre.  

As well as serving as a parish church, St Bartholomew's has a significant place in the cultural heritage of Winchester, having been founded in 1110 as the church for the lay people who worked at Hyde Abbey, the final resting place for the bones of King Alfred the Great, his Queen Aelswitha and their son Edward the Elder. Three stone tablets now mark their position in Hyde Abbey Garden and we hold an annual commemoration of King Alfred. Visitors to the church can view 5 original capitals and 1 springer stone, thought to have come from the Abbey cloisters. These are some of the finest surviving examples of mediaeval sculpture in England. The church tower was built in the 16th century using stone and wood from the Abbey when the latter was destroyed at the Reformation. 

For more information see the benefice website https://threesaints.org.uk/