A UNIQUE artwork is now in place in a Winchester suburb.

LIGHTBOX 459 arrived on Monday at St. Bartholomew's Church in Hyde, timed to coincide with the Hyde Soldiers 1917-2017 commemoration which opens Hyde900's King Alfred Weekend this evening.

Commissioned by the city council as part of the LIGHTS OUT 14-18 NOW initiative the light installation (designed by local architects AR Design Studio) has been on display in various locations around the district for the past three years.

The 459 holes in the box represent the official tally of servicemen from the Winchester area who died during the First World War and, as local resident General Sir Anthony Walker points out, there is a remarkably high count from Hyde.

"The LIGHTBOX 459 installation is exciting and very important to us here in Hyde, " said the general. "Every year we meet to commemorate and celebrate the lives of 77 soldiers who left this community to go to war and never returned’ .

'Sir Tony' (as he is known locally) is a lead member of Hyde900's Hyde Soldiers research group and will be playing a big part in tonight's celebrations which include a lecture and singing by the Fusion Choir and culminate in the placing of flags by today's householders on a map which illustrates where the 'fallen' of 1917 lived in the area.

"It's a very personal and moving individual tribute to 'their' soldier," says Caroline Scott, the co-ordinator of tonight's event who has brought together army personnel from Worthy Down and students from Peter Symonds College as well as local people to research the 1917 fatalities.

Following Hyde Soldiers the King Alfred Weekend provides an annual show case for the wide range of activities and interests pursued by Hyde900.

Tomorrow evening in St. Bartholomew's the exciting discoveries from the Spring Community Dig will be unveiled followed by the annual KING ALFRED LECTURE presented this year by top Cambridge scholar Prof. SIMON KEYNES who will talk about the LIBER VITAE, one of Hyde Abbey’s most important treasures (now in the British Library). Also speaking tomorrow evening will be Prof. MARTIN BIDDLE to update us on his latest thinking about New Minster and ALAN LOVELL from the Hampshire Cultural Trust to outline his vision for a new historical museum in Winchester.

On Saturday evening Professor JOHN COLLIS (himself a Wintonian) from the University of Sheffield will give a free lecture about the development of archaeology in Hyde and Winchester over the past fifty years. Throughout Saturday and Sunday there will be workshops, talks and displays in Hyde Parish Hall dedicated to the story of Hyde Abbey and activities which have been inspired by it. These include the opening of the Heritage Lottery Funded art exhibition PROJECT SPACE and an associated workshop sponsored by local auctioneers Bellmans.

For more information and to sign up to attend go to the Hyde900 website www.hyde900.org.uk