The Bee Shelter, Hartpury

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]

• 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.