The Bee Shelter, Hartpury

The Bee Shelter, Hartpury
"a remarkable Neo-Jacobean beehive shelter"
Type	Bee shelter
Location	Hartpury, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire
Coordinates	51°54′40″N2°19′09″W / 51.911°N 2.3193°W / 51.911; -2.3193
Built	c.1840
Architectural style(s)	Jacobethan
Governing body	Privately owned
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official name	Bee Shelter Approximately 50 Metres East of St Mary the Virgin
Designated	18 October 1985
Reference no.	1341879
Location of The Bee Shelter, Hartpury in Gloucestershire

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. 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. Verey & Brooks 2002, p. 530.

References

• Verey, David; Brooks, Alan (2002) [1970]. Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and the Forest of Dean. The Buildings of England. Yale University Press. ISBN   0-300-09733-6.