The Bee Shelter, Hartpury

The Bee Shelter, Hartpury
"a remarkable Neo-Jacobean beehive shelter"
The Bee Shelter, Hartpury is located in Gloucestershire
The Bee Shelter, Hartpury
Location within Gloucestershire
51°54′40″N 2°19′09″W / 51.911°N 2.3193°W / 51.911; -2.3193
TypeBee shelter
LocationHartpury, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire
History
Builtc.1840
Site notes
Architectural style
Jacobethan
Governing bodyPrivately owned
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official name
Bee Shelter Approximately 50 Metres East of St Mary the Virgin
Designated18 October 1985
Reference no.1341879

The Bee Shelter, Hartpury, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, is a 19th-century bee shelter. It is a Grade II* listed structure.

History and description

The bee shelter was originally located in Nailsworth[1] and was moved to the grounds of Hartpury College in 1968,[2] before being relocated to the churchyard of St Mary's Church in 2002.[2] Until the late 20th century, the beehive shelter was believed to date from the early 17th century and that it functioned as a beehive rack.[1] Recent research has confirmed that it was constructed in the 19th century as a bee shelter by the stonemason Paul Tuffley, a member of a prominent Gloucestershire family of masons, stone merchants and quarrymasters.[1] The date can be confirmed by the stone tooling marks on the shelter, which are "typically Victorian" and by the reference made to the shelter in a deed dating from 1852.[1]

The shelter is 7.3m long and 2.1m high, and comprises three tiers of shelving separated by pilasters.[1] The structure is elaborately decorated.[1]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Historic England. "Bee Shelter approximately 50M east of St Mary the Virgin, Hartpury (Grade II*) (1341879)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  2. 1 2 Verey & Brooks 2002, p. 530.

References