Bee Shelter Approximately 50 Metres East Of St Mary The Virgin

Bee shelter, approximately 50 metres east of St Mary the Virgin, Hartpury. Built between 1847 and 1852 by Paul Tuffley, a stonemason, it is constructed of limestone ashlar. The structure has an overall length of 7.3 metres, stands 2.1 metres high to the ridge tiles, and is 0.6 metres wide. It comprises three tiers of openings beneath a pitched roof with plain ashlar end walls, and a solid back wall elaborately carved on its reverse.

The facade is divided into five recesses on the lowest tier, four of equal width (1.1 metres) and one narrower (0.65 metres), separated by Doric pilasters on shelly limestone ashlar bases. These recesses have four-centred arched heads with sunk circles in the spandrels; two have moulded keystones and the others are plain. A continuous band of diamonds carved in relief on a rusticated background edges the shelf above, serving as a base for thirteen thin stone partitions, which divide the tier into fourteen recesses, averaging 0.45 metres wide and 0.48 metres high. All but one align with the tier above. The partitions have a concave profile with a projecting foot and scrolled head, with varying concave and convex front edges, some cross-ribbed.

The interior formerly sheltered straw or wicker, dome-shaped bee skeps within each of the 28 bee holes. The shelter is essentially a roofed, open-fronted set of shelves.

Previously believed to date from the 17th century, recent research places the construction of the bee shelter between 1824 and 1852, based on evidence related to Paul Tuffley's property history and exhibiting Victorian tooling marks. It is specifically mentioned in a deed dated 25 March 1852. The Tuffley family were significant quarry masters, stone merchants, and stonemasons operating for over 120 years in the Nailsworth/Minchinhampton area. The bee shelter was originally part of Paul Tuffley’s garden boundary wall at Chapel Street, Nailsworth, and stood there until 1968.