Local writer and architectural historian Matthew Hyde has passed away at the age of sixty-eight.
Matthew died in Macclesfield hospital on Sunday 18th September and leaves his wife and three children.
He was well known locally for his book The Villas of Alderley Edge (1999) and was a popular guest lecturer on local and architectural history, having given a number of talks to groups in the village including the Alderley History Group.
Matthew was also involved in the Alderley Edge project - a major project reviewing the history of Alderley Edge from prehistoric times to the present, under the auspices of Manchester museum. Matthew's area of focus was the architectural development of the village of Alderley Edge after the building of the railway.
His other books included A Window on Knutsford (2000), the new 'Pevsner' for Cumbria (2010), and, most recently, Britain's Lost Churches which was published earlier this year.
Matthew was also the Joint author of Macclesfield Memories for the Millennium (2000); Lindow and the Bog Warriors (2002); the new 'Pevsners' for Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (2004) and Cheshire (2011); and Arts and Crafts Houses in the Lake District (2014).
He worked extensively in education and in Manchester museums and galleries as well as being a keen gardener and amateur craftsman, enjoying carpentry, gilding and stained glass.
Michael Scaife, a member of Alderley History Group who heard Matthew Hyde lecture a number of times, said "His passing is a sad loss to architectural, social and local history in this area".
