Special delivery creating a real buzz at Battle Abbey

The bees will make their home in a Victorian-style hive in the Abbey’s Victorian Walled Garden, which opened earlier this summer.

Battle Abbey property manager Jo Stewart has been trained in apiary by local expert Roger Renner.

Under his tutelage she has developed this nucleus colony from scratch.

Jo said: “The bees are the crowning glory in our new Victorian fruit garden which we have restored and planted with local heritage fruit trees and a wildflower meadow.

“I am really excited to have the opportunity to create this colony from scratch.

“I believe I am the only apiarist in English Heritage and I can’t wait to get my bees settled in.

“The shortage of bees has been much talked about recently. They are vitally important to the success of our new walled garden and ultimately we hope to be able to offer their honey to visitors in our shop.”

The Walled Garden has been recreated as it was during the second half of the nineteenth century when Battle Abbey was lived in as a country house estate by the Duke and Duchess of Cleveland.